Onawa: Name Meaning, Origin & Popularity

At a Glance: Name: Onawa – Origin: Cherokee – Pronunciation: oh-NAH-wuh


Onawa is a Cherokee name. It appears in our list of 200+ Native American Baby Names Honoring Indigenous Heritage.

Meaning & Origin of Onawa

Origin: Cherokee.

A common claim: Widely given as Cherokee for 'awake.' Actually: There's no reliable evidence of a Cherokee origin for this name. The only documented 'Onawa' is a place name in Namibia.

Source: Wiktionary.

How to Pronounce Onawa

Phonetic: oh-NAH-wuh   IPA: /oʊˈnɑːwə/

Popularity of Onawa

Onawa doesn’t appear in U.S. Social Security birth records, which include every name given to at least five babies in a year — so it’s rare in the U.S.

Lists That Include Onawa

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