Chuka
A masculine name of Japanese origin meaning "bamboo shoot".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Chuka. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chuka today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chuka births was 2003 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chuka. 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 Chuka with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chuka. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
2003
5 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2006 SSA rank
#12,371
Tracked since 2003
Census
Chuka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 165 people with the first name Chuka, which placed it at #43,061 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
#43,061
National first-name rank
People counted
165
165 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
92.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Chuka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chuka is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Chuka 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 Chuka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American92.7% · 153
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 4
- Two or more races2.4% · 4
- White1.8% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 1
Popularity
Chuka: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chuka 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 Chuka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 10 | 0 | 10 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Chuka
The name Chuka originates from the Yoruba language spoken in West Africa, predominantly in Nigeria. It has its roots in the ancient Yoruba culture and can be traced back to the 15th century or earlier.
The name Chuka is derived from the Yoruba word "oku" which means "fire" or "flame". It is believed that the name was given to children born during times of war or conflict, symbolizing strength, resilience, and the ability to overcome challenges, much like a flame that burns brightly despite adversity.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Chuka can be found in the Ife corpus of oral traditions, a collection of stories and narratives that preserve the history and cultural heritage of the Yoruba people. In these tales, Chuka is depicted as a brave warrior who fought fiercely to protect his people.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Chuka. One such figure was Chuka Nnolim (1944-2022), a renowned Nigerian playwright, poet, and academic who made significant contributions to the literary landscape of his country. His works often explored themes of cultural identity and social justice.
Another individual of note was Chuka Umunna (born 1978), a British politician and former Member of Parliament. Umunna, whose father was Nigerian, was known for his advocacy for social and economic reforms, as well as his support for Britain's membership in the European Union.
In the realm of sports, Chuka Monye (born 1985) is a former professional rugby union player who represented England at the international level. Monye's athletic prowess and dedication to his craft earned him recognition as one of the top players of his generation.
Chuka Iloegbu (1954-2015) was a Nigerian artist and sculptor whose works celebrated the rich cultural heritage of his homeland. His sculptures, often crafted from wood and metal, captured the essence of Igbo traditions and were exhibited in galleries around the world.
Lastly, Chuka Umunna (born 1987), a Nigerian-American journalist and writer, has gained recognition for her thought-provoking articles and essays on issues of race, identity, and socio-political affairs. Her insightful perspectives have contributed to important conversations on these topics.
People
Chuka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chuka 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
Chuka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chuka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chuka 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Chuka a common name?
We classify Chuka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chuka most popular?
The single biggest year for Chuka was 2003, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chuka is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Chuka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 165 people with the name Chuka, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,061 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 Chuka 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 Chuka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Chuka leans strongly male. 160 people counted with this name were male (96.4%), compared with 6 female bearers (3.6%). 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 Chuka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Chuka is Black at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.4%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Chuka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Chuka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (153 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 Chuka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chuka a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chuka 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 Chuka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chuka 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 Chuka 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 Chuka 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.