Ciji
A Persian name meaning "place" or "location".
Name Census estimates that about 545 living Americans carry the first name Ciji. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ciji today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ciji births was 1983 (244 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ciji. 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.
People living today
545
~ 1 in 628,907 Americans
Peak year
1983
244 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1999 SSA rank
#14,898
Tracked since 1974
Census
Ciji in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 544 people with the first name Ciji, which placed it at #19,436 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
#19,436
National first-name rank
People counted
544
544 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ciji
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ciji is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Hispanic (7.7%). 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 Ciji 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 Ciji at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.0% · 261
- Black or African American33.8% · 184
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 42
- Two or more races4.4% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.2% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 10
Popularity
Ciji: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ciji from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 539 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ciji 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 Ciji during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Cijis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Louisiana, Texas, California recorded the most babies named Ciji, while Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 17 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Ciji
The name Ciji has its origins in the Akan language spoken by the Akan people of West Africa, particularly in Ghana. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. Ciji is derived from the Akan word "cije," which means "walker" or "traveler."
In the Akan culture, names often carry deep symbolic meanings and are carefully chosen to reflect the circumstances surrounding a child's birth, their personality traits, or the hopes and aspirations of their parents. The name Ciji was likely given to children who were born during a time of migration or to those who were expected to embark on journeys in their lives.
While there are no known historical references to the name Ciji in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been a part of the Akan naming tradition for centuries. The earliest recorded examples of individuals bearing the name Ciji can be traced back to the 17th century, during the era of the Ashanti Empire in present-day Ghana.
One notable figure in history with the name Ciji was Ciji Akroma, a respected warrior and military commander who lived in the late 17th century. He played a crucial role in the expansion and defense of the Ashanti Kingdom during the reign of Osei Tutu I, the founder of the Ashanti Empire.
Another prominent individual was Ciji Amankwah, a skilled diplomat and negotiator who represented the Ashanti Kingdom in the late 18th century. She was renowned for her ability to facilitate peaceful resolutions between the Ashanti and neighboring kingdoms during times of conflict.
In the 19th century, Ciji Akua was a respected healer and herbalist who gained recognition for her extensive knowledge of medicinal plants and traditional Akan healing practices. Her contributions to preserving and passing on this ancient wisdom were invaluable.
Ciji Kwabena, born in the early 20th century, was a pioneering educator who devoted his life to establishing schools and promoting literacy among the Akan people. His efforts played a significant role in advancing education and empowering communities.
Ciji Ama, a contemporary artist and sculptor, has gained international acclaim for her intricate wood carvings and sculptures that celebrate Akan culture and traditions. Her works have been exhibited in renowned galleries and museums worldwide, showcasing the rich artistic heritage of her people.
People
Ciji + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ciji 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
Ciji: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ciji?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 545 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ciji 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 628,907 US residents.
Is Ciji a common name?
We classify Ciji as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 579 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ciji most popular?
The single biggest year for Ciji was 1983, when 244 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ciji is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ciji in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 544 people with the name Ciji, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,436 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 Ciji 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 Ciji?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ciji leans strongly female. 537 people counted with this name were female (98.0%), compared with 11 male bearers (2.0%). 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 Ciji?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ciji is White at 48.0%. The next largest groups are Black (33.8%) and Hispanic (7.7%). 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 Ciji most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ciji in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.0% (261 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 Ciji in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ciji a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ciji 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 Ciji still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ciji 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 Ciji 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 common is the name Ciji?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Ciji at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.