Find out how popular the first name Anakin has been for the last 29 years (from 1995 to 2023) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Popularity of Anakin by gender

Based on the last 29 years of data, Anakin is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 99% of people named Anakin being male.

For the most recent data in 2023, there were 541 male babies and 6 female babies born with the name Anakin.

Yes—according to the SSA data, 6 baby girls were named Anakin in 2023, despite it being a predominantly male name. We'd love to know why!

The history of the first name Anakin

The name Anakin is a modern invention, likely derived from the word "Anakin" itself, which was first used in the Star Wars universe created by George Lucas. It does not appear to have any direct linguistic or cultural origins prior to its introduction in the 1999 film Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.

In the Star Wars mythos, Anakin Skywalker is the central character who eventually becomes the villainous Darth Vader. The name Anakin is given to him as a young slave on the planet Tatooine, and its meaning or etymology within the fictional universe is not clearly explained.

Outside of the Star Wars franchise, there are no recorded instances of the name Anakin being used historically or appearing in ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records. It is a unique name created specifically for the character Anakin Skywalker.

While the name Anakin itself does not have a long historical legacy, the character of Anakin Skywalker, portrayed by actors Jake Lloyd and Hayden Christensen, has become a iconic figure in popular culture since the release of the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005).

Due to the widespread popularity of the Star Wars films, the name Anakin has gained some usage as a given name in recent decades, particularly among fans of the franchise. However, there are no notable historical figures or individuals named Anakin prior to the creation of the Star Wars character.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Anakin was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Anakin, please contact us.

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