Iona
Girl name · #2647 in 2025 · Very rare
Iona ranks #2647 among American girls' names as of 2025, with 65 newborns given the name that year. A decade ago it stood at #2712, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 27,692 girls born in 2025 was named Iona.
Babies named Iona per year. Source: SSA.
The 145-year story
Iona first appears in the Social Security records in 1880, when 18 girls received the name. Its peak came in 1918, when 404 girls were named Iona — good for #317 that year. Today's parents encounter it as a name from their grandparents’ generation, which is precisely the vintage window from which names get revived. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Iona against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Iona in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Iona is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "very rare". A high score means genuine rarity — your Iona will likely be the only one in the room, with the occasional spelling-out as the price.
Where Iona is most common
State-level data for Iona is too sparse in 2025 to rank by rate — in most states its count falls below the SSA's per-state reporting threshold (counts under 5 are withheld).
Names like Iona
Statistically, parents drawn to Iona tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Verona, Una, Iva, Verena, and Ina.
VeronaUnaIvaVerenaInaGoldaMaidaLavina
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Iona | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 65 | #2645 |
| 2024 | 61 | #2775 |
| 2023 | 56 | #2975 |
| 2022 | 76 | #2404 |
| 2021 | 66 | #2608 |
| 2020 | 52 | #3061 |
| 2019 | 73 | #2428 |
| 2018 | 68 | #2557 |
| 2017 | 49 | #3247 |
| 2016 | 59 | #2866 |
| 2015 | 65 | #2712 |
| 2014 | 59 | #2888 |
| 2013 | 45 | #3465 |
| 2012 | 42 | #3711 |
| 2011 | 39 | #3843 |
| 2010 | 44 | #3572 |
| 2009 | 36 | #4196 |
| 2008 | 30 | #4882 |
| 2007 | 33 | #4475 |
| 2006 | 39 | #3854 |
| 2005 | 28 | #4704 |
| 2004 | 35 | #3989 |
| 2003 | 23 | #5235 |
| 2002 | 22 | #5254 |
| 2001 | 33 | #3864 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Iona a popular girl name?
Iona ranked #2647 among girls in 2025 with 65 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #2712.
When was the name Iona most popular?
Iona peaked in 1918, when 404 American girls received the name (ranked #317 that year). Since 1918 the name has declined from that high.
How rare is the name Iona?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 27,692 newborn American girls was named Iona. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "very rare".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.