Akaiya
A Japanese feminine name meaning "red-colored brilliant dawn or bright dawn".
Name Census estimates that about 100 living Americans carry the first name Akaiya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Akaiya today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Akaiya births was 2002 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Akaiya. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
100
~ 1 in 3,427,543 Americans
Peak year
2002
9 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#13,492
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Akaiya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Akaiya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 48 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Akaiya remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Akaiya by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Akaiya during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Akaiya
The name Akaiya is of Japanese origin, derived from the word "aka," meaning "red" or "bright," and "ya," meaning "night." It is believed to have emerged during the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan, a time of great cultural and artistic flourishing.
Akaiya was initially used as a poetic name, often appearing in classical Japanese literature such as waka poetry and Noh plays. The combination of "red" and "night" evoked vivid imagery of a crimson night sky or a bright, burning fire illuminating the darkness, capturing the essence of beauty and passion.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Akaiya can be found in the "Tale of Genji," a renowned novel written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century. In the story, Akaiya is the name of a female character known for her exceptional beauty and grace.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Akaiya. One such figure was Akaiya Suketomo (1135-1198), a prominent Japanese samurai and poet who served under the Minamoto clan during the Genpei War. His poetry was highly regarded, and he was known for his bravery and loyalty on the battlefield.
Another notable Akaiya was Akaiya Naotsune (1453-1531), a Zen Buddhist monk and scholar who played a significant role in the revival of Zen Buddhism in Japan during the Muromachi period. His teachings and writings had a profound influence on the spiritual and intellectual landscape of the time.
In the realm of art, Akaiya Hidetomo (1647-1704) was a renowned Japanese painter and calligrapher of the Edo period. His works, featuring intricate depictions of landscapes and nature, were highly esteemed and sought after by nobility and wealthy patrons.
During the Meiji era (1868-1912), Akaiya Tatsumaro (1852-1919) was a prominent educator and advocate for women's education in Japan. She founded one of the first schools for girls in Tokyo and dedicated her life to empowering women through education, a revolutionary concept at the time.
Finally, Akaiya Masao (1903-1977) was a celebrated Japanese writer and poet of the Showa period. His works, which often explored themes of nature, spirituality, and the human condition, earned him numerous literary awards and a place among the most influential writers of his generation.
People
Akaiya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Akaiya as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Akaiya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Akaiya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 100 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Akaiya going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 3,427,543 US residents.
Is Akaiya a common name?
We classify Akaiya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 101 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Akaiya most popular?
The single biggest year for Akaiya was 2002, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Akaiya is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Akaiya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Akaiya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Akaiya in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Akaiya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Akaiya in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Akaiya can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Akaiya?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.