Aneka
An Indian feminine name meaning "multiple" or "unique".
Name Census estimates that about 301 living Americans carry the first name Aneka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Aneka today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Aneka births was 1978 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Aneka. 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 Aneka with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
301
~ 1 in 1,138,719 Americans
Peak year
1978
16 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2015 SSA rank
#16,636
Tracked since 1972
Census
Aneka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 357 people with the first name Aneka, which placed it at #26,204 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
#26,204
National first-name rank
People counted
357
357 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
57.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Aneka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aneka is Black at 57.4%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%). 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 Aneka 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 Aneka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.4% · 205
- White18.8% · 67
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.1% · 36
- Hispanic or Latino8.1% · 29
- Two or more races4.8% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 3
Popularity
Aneka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Aneka from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 93 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Aneka 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 Aneka 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 Aneka
The name Aneka is of Sanskrit origin, stemming from the ancient Indian language that dates back to the 2nd millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "aneka," which means "many" or "numerous." The name conveys a sense of abundance, diversity, and multiplicity.
In ancient Hindu texts, the concept of "aneka" is often used to describe the multifaceted nature of the divine, reflecting the idea that the supreme reality can manifest in countless forms. This philosophical interpretation lends a spiritual depth to the name Aneka.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Aneka can be found in the Mahabharata, an epic Sanskrit text composed between the 8th century BCE and the 4th century CE. The name is mentioned in the context of describing the diverse and numerous qualities of certain characters or deities.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Aneka. One of the most prominent was Aneka Devi (1050-1125 CE), a renowned Hindu mystic and spiritual teacher from the Indian state of Rajasthan. She was revered for her profound insights and her ability to guide seekers on the path of self-realization.
Another notable figure was Aneka Pandita (1275-1350 CE), a scholar and philosopher from the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India. He made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit literature and is credited with writing several influential treatises on Hindu philosophy and spiritual practices.
In the realm of art and culture, Aneka Radha (1525-1590 CE) was a celebrated Indian painter and miniaturist from the Mughal era. Her exquisite miniature paintings, depicting scenes from Hindu mythology and court life, are considered masterpieces of Indian art and are preserved in various museums around the world.
Moving to more recent times, Aneka Ray (1905-1980) was a pioneering Indian dancer and choreographer who played a crucial role in reviving and popularizing classical Indian dance forms, particularly Kathak. Her performances and teachings helped preserve and promote the rich cultural heritage of India.
Lastly, Aneka Manners (1945-2021) was a British author and historian who specialized in the study of ancient civilizations. Her extensive research and writings on topics such as ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome made significant contributions to our understanding of these influential cultures.
These are just a few examples of the diverse individuals who have carried the name Aneka throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and achievement.
People
Aneka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Aneka 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
Aneka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Aneka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 301 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Aneka 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 1,138,719 US residents.
Is Aneka a common name?
We classify Aneka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 317 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Aneka most popular?
The single biggest year for Aneka was 1978, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Aneka is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Aneka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 357 people with the name Aneka, or 0.12 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #26,204 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 Aneka 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 Aneka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Aneka appears almost entirely female. Of the 362 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Aneka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Aneka is Black at 57.4%. The next largest groups are White (18.8%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (10.1%). 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 Aneka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Aneka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.4% (205 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 Aneka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Aneka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Aneka 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 Aneka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Aneka 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 Aneka 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 are named Aneka?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.