Alika
Feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "cheerful and alert".
Name Census estimates that about 1,172 living Americans carry the first name Alika. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 52.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Alika today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Alika births was 1998 (35 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Alika. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Alika with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Alika sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
People living today
1.2K
~ 1 in 292,453 Americans
Peak year
1998
35 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,876
Tracked since 1971
Census
Alika in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,042 people with the first name Alika, which placed it at #12,077 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#12,077
National first-name rank
People counted
1.0K
1,042 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
27.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Alika
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alika is Asian/Pacific Islander at 27.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (25.0%) and Black (17.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Alika described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Alika at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander27.1% · 282
- Two or more races25.0% · 261
- Black or African American17.2% · 179
- Hispanic or Latino15.7% · 164
- White14.0% · 146
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 10
Gender
Gender distribution for Alika
Alika is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,205 total registrations, 635 (52.7%) were male and 570 (47.3%) were female.
Alika as a male name
- Ranked #10,876 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1998 (21 births)
Alika as a female name
- Ranked #15,354 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (26 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Alika on both sides of the split. Of the 1,042 people counted with this name, 559 were male (53.6%) and 483 were female (46.4%).
Popularity
Alika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Alika from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 281 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Alika 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 Alika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Alikas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Hawaii, California, Texas recorded the most babies named Alika, while Texas, California, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 149 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Alika
The name Alika is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian language, where it is a diminutive form of the name Alika, meaning "precious child" or "beloved child." The name's roots can be traced back to the ancient Polynesian cultures that inhabited the Hawaiian Islands, dating back several centuries.
Alika was a name commonly used in Hawaiian culture, often given to children born into prominent families or those of noble lineage. It was considered a name that carried a sense of endearment and affection, reflecting the deep bond between parents and their children.
In ancient Hawaiian legends and oral traditions, there are references to characters bearing the name Alika, although specific details about their significance are scarce. As a name deeply rooted in Hawaiian culture, it was likely mentioned in various chants, songs, and stories passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Alika can be found in the Hawaiian genealogical records, or mo'okū'auhau, which trace the lineages of Hawaiian ali'i (nobility) and maka'āinana (commoners). These records, dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries, contain references to individuals named Alika, indicating the name's longstanding use among the Hawaiian people.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Alika, although their exact dates of birth and death may not be precisely known due to the oral nature of Hawaiian traditions. One such individual was Alika Kahele, a respected Hawaiian kahuna (priest) and navigator who lived in the late 18th century and was known for his expertise in traditional Hawaiian navigation and celestial knowledge.
Another notable figure was Alika Desha, a Hawaiian ali'i (noble) and adviser to King Kamehameha I, who played a significant role in the unification of the Hawaiian Islands in the early 19th century. Alika Desha was renowned for her wisdom and diplomatic skills, and her name is often mentioned in accounts of the island's history during that period.
In the realm of Hawaiian culture and arts, Alika Ahau was a celebrated hula master and chanter who lived in the late 19th century. She was recognized for her mastery of traditional Hawaiian hula and chants, and her contributions helped preserve and perpetuate these cultural practices.
Additionally, Alika Dowsett was a prominent Hawaiian businessman and philanthropist in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was involved in various business ventures and was known for his generosity in supporting educational and cultural initiatives in Hawaii.
While the name Alika has its roots in Hawaiian culture, it has also gained popularity in other parts of the world, particularly in the United States and other regions with Hawaiian communities or influences. However, its historical significance and cultural resonance remain deeply rooted in the Hawaiian Islands and the rich traditions of the Polynesian people.
People
Alika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Alika 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
Alika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Alika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,172 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Alika 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 292,453 US residents.
Is Alika a common name?
We classify Alika as "Rare". It ranks above 91.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,205 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Alika most popular?
The single biggest year for Alika was 1998, when 35 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Alika is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Alika in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,042 people with the name Alika, or 0.34 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #12,077 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Alika in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Alika?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Alika on both sides of the split. Of the 1,042 people counted with this name, 559 were male (53.6%) and 483 were female (46.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Alika?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Alika is Asian/Pacific Islander at 27.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (25.0%) and Black (17.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Alika most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Alika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 27.1% (282 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Alika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Alika a male name?
Yes, 52.7% of people registered as Alika in the SSA data are male. 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 Alika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Alika 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 Alika 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.
How many people have Alika as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.