Hiawatha
Hiawatha, also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he was born an Onondaga but adopted into the Mohawks.
Meaning & Origin of Hiawatha
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Hiawatha, also known as Ayenwatha or Aiionwatha, was a precolonial Native American leader and cofounder of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. He was a leader of the Onondaga people, the Mohawk people, or both. According to some accounts, he was born an Onondaga but adopted into the Mohawks.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Hiawatha
As a girl name
Hiawatha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1912, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1926, when 11 Hiawathas were born — ranking #2,872 that year. As of 2026, Hiawatha ranks #6,892 for girls with 8 births, with steady use. In total, more than 303 Hiawathas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
As a boy name
Hiawatha first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1911, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1934, when 26 Hiawathas were born — ranking #1,323 that year. As of 2026, Hiawatha ranks #11,354 for boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 925 Hiawathas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1910s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Hiawatha
Phonetically similar names — useful when Hiawatha 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 Hiawatha
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About the name Hiawatha
Hiawatha is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1911 and has accumulated 925 births in the dataset. Hiawatha's peak popularity came in 1934 when it ranked #1,323. Use the chart and map above to compare Hiawatha's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
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- Top names of 2026 →
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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.