Girl · #15,082 in 2026

Dafina

Hamin or dafina is a Sabbath stew made from whole grains, cubes of meat, chickpeas or beans, onion and cumin that emerged in Iberia among Sephardic Jews. The dish was developed as Jewish chefs, perhaps first in Iberia, began adding chickpeas or fava beans and more water to harisa, a Middle Eastern porridge of cracked durum wheat berries and meat, to create a more liquidy bean stew.

  • Albanian
  • Bulgarian
  • Macedonian
Current Rank
#15,082
Peak Rank
#4,720 (1974)
Total Babies
133
5-Yr Trend
Stable
1973
First Year
2020
Last Year
1974
Peak Year
#4720
Peak Rank
133
Total Count
21
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Dafina

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Hamin or dafina is a Sabbath stew made from whole grains, cubes of meat, chickpeas or beans, onion and cumin that emerged in Iberia among Sephardic Jews. The dish was developed as Jewish chefs, perhaps first in Iberia, began adding chickpeas or fava beans and more water to harisa, a Middle Eastern porridge of cracked durum wheat berries and meat, to create a more liquidy bean stew.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Albanian
  • Bulgarian
  • Macedonian
Etymology
The name hamin ( חמין ) is derived from the Hebrew word חם ('hot'), from which the Mishnaic word for warm things was derived, and eventually became a shorthand for the name of the Sephardic food hamin di trigo (lit. heat of grain). It was sometimes also called "trasnochado" ("overnighted" in Spanish). After the Reconquista in Spain , Iberian Jews hid their hamin pots under the fire embers to avoid persecution and exposure of Jewish practices, renaming the dish dafina ( Arabic : دفينة ), meaning buried, echoing the Mishnaic phrase "bury the hot food".
Origin & history
Main article: Sabbath stew Sabbath stews were developed over the centuries to conform with Jewish laws that prohibit cooking on the Sabbath. The pot is brought to a boil on Friday before the Sabbath begins, and sometimes kept on a blech or hotplate , or left in a slow oven or electric slow cooker , until the following day. Over the centuries various Jewish diaspora communities created their own variations of Sabbath stew based on local food resources and neighborhood influence. There are many variations of the dish, which is today a staple of both Sephardi and Ashkenazi kitchens and among othe

The Story of Dafina

Dafina first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1973, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1974, when 12 Dafinas were born — ranking #4,720 that year. As of 2026, Dafina ranks #15,082 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 133 Dafinas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

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Names that sound like Dafina

Phonetically similar names — useful when Dafina is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dafina

What does the name Dafina mean?
Hamin or dafina is a Sabbath stew made from whole grains, cubes of meat, chickpeas or beans, onion and cumin that emerged in Iberia among Sephardic Jews. The dish was developed as Jewish chefs, perhaps first in Iberia, began adding chickpeas or fava beans and more water to harisa, a Middle Eastern porridge of cracked durum wheat berries and meat, to create a more liquidy bean stew.
What is the origin of the name Dafina?
Dafina has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Albanian, Bulgarian, Macedonian.
How popular is Dafina in 2026?
In 2026, Dafina ranks #15,082 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.
When was Dafina most popular?
Dafina reached its peak popularity in 1974, ranking #4,720 that year with 12 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Dafina most popular?
Dafina has historically been most popular in New York, California. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Dafina.
Is Dafina a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Dafina is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Dafina?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Dafina include Chellie, Saretta, Karletta. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

Similar Names

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Chellie
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👧
Saretta
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Karletta
Peak #4720
👧
Tambi
Peak #4720
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Sonita
Peak #4720
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Chena
Peak #4720
👧
Loredana
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Lekita
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About the name Dafina

Dafina is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1973 and has accumulated 133 births in the dataset. Dafina's peak popularity came in 1974 when it ranked #4,720. Use the chart and map above to compare Dafina's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

  • Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
  • Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
  • Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
  • Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
  • Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.