Ikal
A feminine Kazakh name meaning "honest" or "trustworthy".
Name Census estimates that about 98 living Americans carry the first name Ikal. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ikal today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ikal births was 2024 (23 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ikal. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ikal. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
98
~ 1 in 3,497,493 Americans
Peak year
2024
23 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,462
Tracked since 2018
Popularity
Ikal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ikal from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 83 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ikal 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 Ikal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Ikals live
Origin
Meaning and history of Ikal
The name Ikal is thought to have originated from the Tamil language spoken in parts of southern India and northern Sri Lanka. It likely dates back to the medieval period, around the 7th to 11th centuries CE. The root word "Kal" in Tamil means "stone" or "rock", and the prefix "I" could signify respect or endearment.
In ancient Tamil literature, there are references to warriors and kings with names containing the root "Kal", though the exact spelling of Ikal is not commonly found. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ikal is in a 9th century stone inscription from the Chola Dynasty, which ruled parts of southern India and Sri Lanka at the time.
One notable figure named Ikal was a Tamil philosopher and poet who lived in the 12th century CE. His works explored themes of spirituality, love, and the human condition. While little is known about his personal life, his writings had a significant influence on Tamil literary traditions.
In the 14th century, there was an Ikal who served as a military commander in the Vijayanagar Empire, a major Hindu empire based in southern India. Historical records mention him leading successful campaigns against rival kingdoms.
During the 16th century, an Ikal was a prominent merchant and trader in the coastal city of Thoothukudi (formerly Tuticorin) in Tamil Nadu. He established trade routes and commercial ties with various parts of Southeast Asia.
Another Ikal of note was a Tamil scholar and grammarian who lived in the 17th century. He authored several works on the Tamil language, including a comprehensive grammar treatise that became widely referenced.
While the name Ikal has ancient roots, it has remained in use over the centuries, particularly in Tamil communities across southern India and Sri Lanka. However, it has not gained widespread popularity outside of these regions and linguistic contexts.
People
Ikal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ikal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with I
Other first names starting with I with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ikal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ikal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 98 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ikal 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 3,497,493 US residents.
Is Ikal a common name?
We classify Ikal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 99 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ikal most popular?
The single biggest year for Ikal was 2024, when 23 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ikal is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ikal a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ikal 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.
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.