Chika
A Japanese feminine given name meaning "child of the eternal Lord".
Name Census estimates that about 365 living Americans carry the first name Chika. It is a predominantly female name (92.6% of registrations). The average person named Chika today is around 30 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chika births was 1997 (19 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chika. 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 Chika with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
365
~ 1 in 939,053 Americans
Peak year
1997
19 babies that year
Average age
30
years old
2004 SSA rank
#10,182
Tracked since 1976
Census
Chika in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,236 people with the first name Chika, which placed it at #10,671 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
#10,671
National first-name rank
People counted
1.2K
1,236 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
60.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chika
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chika is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.0%) and White (1.8%). 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 Chika 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 Chika at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American60.3% · 745
- Asian and Pacific Islander35.0% · 432
- White1.8% · 22
- Two or more races1.7% · 21
- Hispanic or Latino1.3% · 16
Gender
Gender distribution for Chika
Chika leans heavily female at 92.6% of total registrations, but 28 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Chika as a male name
- Ranked #10,182 in 2004
- 6 male births in 2004
- Peak: 1997 (7 births)
Chika as a female name
- Ranked #12,515 in 2022
- 7 female births in 2022
- Peak: 1992 (17 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chika leans strongly female. 1,034 people counted with this name were female (83.9%), compared with 198 male bearers (16.1%).
Popularity
Chika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Chika from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 136 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Chika 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 Chika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Chikas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Georgia, Maryland recorded the most babies named Chika, while Maryland, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Chika
The name Chika is believed to have originated from the Igbo language spoken in southeastern Nigeria. It is a diminutive form of the name Chikadibia, which means "God is great" or "God is powerful". The name dates back to the 16th century and was commonly used among the Igbo people of West Africa.
In Igbo culture, names often carry deep spiritual and cultural significance. The name Chika is a reflection of the Igbo people's strong belief in the supreme deity and their reverence for divine power. It was a common practice to give children names that expressed gratitude, praise, or invoked blessings from the divine.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Chika can be found in historical documents and oral traditions from the Igbo region. It was a name given to both male and female children, although in modern times it has become more commonly associated with females.
One of the earliest notable figures to bear the name Chika was Chika Nwangwu, a renowned 17th-century Igbo trader and diplomat. Nwangwu played a crucial role in facilitating trade relations between the Igbo people and European merchants, and her name was widely recognized during that time.
Another historical figure with the name Chika was Chika Onyeama, a Nigerian activist and feminist who fought for women's rights and social justice in the early 20th century. She was born in 1892 and was instrumental in advocating for educational opportunities for girls and women in her community.
In the realm of literature, Chika Unigwe, a contemporary Nigerian author, has gained recognition for her works that explore themes of identity, migration, and cultural dynamics. Unigwe was born in 1974 and her novels, such as "On Black Sisters' Street" and "Night Dancer", have received critical acclaim.
Chika Okpala, born in 1978, is a Nigerian-American actress known for her roles in films and television series. She has appeared in productions like "The Underground Railroad" and "Them", bringing diverse characters to life on screen.
Chika Ike, born in 1985, is a Nigerian actress and model who has made a significant impact in the Nollywood film industry. She has starred in numerous popular movies and is celebrated for her acting talents and fashion sense.
While the name Chika has its roots in the Igbo culture, it has gained popularity across various regions and communities, transcending its original cultural boundaries. The name continues to be cherished for its deep spiritual connotations and serves as a reminder of the rich cultural heritage of the Igbo people.
People
Chika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chika as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Chika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 365 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chika 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 939,053 US residents.
Is Chika a common name?
We classify Chika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 81.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 378 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chika most popular?
The single biggest year for Chika was 1997, when 19 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chika is about 30 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chika in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,236 people with the name Chika, or 0.41 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #10,671 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 Chika 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 Chika?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chika leans strongly female. 1,034 people counted with this name were female (83.9%), compared with 198 male bearers (16.1%). 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 Chika?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chika is Black at 60.3%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (35.0%) and White (1.8%). 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 Chika most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.3% (745 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 Chika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chika a female name?
Yes, 92.6% of people registered as Chika 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 Chika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chika 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 Chika 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 called Chika?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.