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.
- History
- Iroquois
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 →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- History
- Iroquois
The Story of Hiawatha
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Hiawatha as a girl name dates back to 1912, when 5 babies received it. 1926 was its biggest year on record, with 11 newborns named Hiawatha — #2,872 in the national rankings. About 24% of every Hiawatha on record arrived during the 1920s, its defining decade. Hiawatha last appeared in the published SSA data in 1977, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 303 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Hiawatha on the record books as a boy name in 1911, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1934, when 26 Hiawathas were born — ranking #1,323 that year. Hiawatha last appeared in the published SSA data in 2004, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 925 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to 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
- Top names of 1934 →
- Names of the 1930s →
- Names starting with "H" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.