ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 1951 First Year 1973 Last Year 1951 Peak Year #5415 Peak Rank 10 Total Count 2 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Rwanda What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" for its high elevation and rolling terrain, its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna in the southeast. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda) 📜Etymology The name Rwanda derives from the word Ku-aanda, meaning "expansion" or "spreading out from the centre", reflecting the historical growth of the Kingdom of Rwanda . 🏛️Origin & history Main articles: History of Rwanda , German East Africa , and Ruanda-Urundi Modern human settlement of what is now Rwanda dates from, at the latest, the last glacial period , either in the Neolithic period around 8,000 BC, or in the long humid period which followed, up to around 3,000 BC. Archaeological excavations have revealed evidence of sparse settlement by hunter-gatherers in the late Stone Age , followed by a larger population of early Iron Age settlers, who produced dimpled pottery and iron tools. These early inhabitants were the ancestors of the Twa , aboriginal pygmy hunter-gatherers wh [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Rwanda](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/17/Flag_of_Rwanda.svg/330px-Flag_of_Rwanda.svg.png)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rwanda) 📖 ## The Story of Rwanda Rwanda first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1951, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1951: 5 births, good for #5,415 nationwide. About 50% of every Rwanda on record arrived during the 1950s, its defining decade. Rwanda last appeared in the published SSA data in 1973, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 10 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1950s to the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Rwanda Phonetically similar names — useful when Rwanda is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * Rwandan * [Rolanda](/rolanda) * Ruanda * [Raymonda](/raymonda) * [Towanda](/towanda) * [Lawanda](/lawanda) * Rewound * [Redonda](/redonda) * Rewind * [Rhonda](/rhonda) * [Ronda](/ronda) * [Ramada](/ramada) Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Rwanda What does the name Rwanda mean? Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Known as the "Land of a Thousand Hills" for its high elevation and rolling terrain, its geography is dominated by mountains in the west and savanna in the southeast. How popular is Rwanda in 2026? In 2026, Rwanda ranks #8,423 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Rwanda most popular? Rwanda reached its peak popularity in 1951, ranking #5,415 that year with 5 babies given the name. Is Rwanda a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Rwanda is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Rwanda? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Rwanda include Alphea, Ballarie, Carlan. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧AlpheaPeak #5415](/alphea)[👧BallariePeak #5415](/ballarie)[👧CarlanPeak #5415](/carlan)[👧CathyleenPeak #5415](/cathyleen)[👧CharlonaPeak #5415](/charlona)[👧CherrilynnPeak #5415](/cherrilynn)[👧CondolPeak #5415](/condol)[👧CristeenPeak #5415](/cristeen) ## About the name Rwanda Rwanda is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1951 and has accumulated 10 births in the dataset. Rwanda's peak popularity came in 1951 when it ranked #5,415\. Use the chart and map above to compare Rwanda's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 1951 → ](/year/1951) * [ Names of the 1950s → ](/decade/1950s) * [ Names starting with "R" → ](/letter/r) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). 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 ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). 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.