Ikie
An African name of Nigerian origin meaning "greatness".
Name Census estimates that about 20 living Americans carry the first name Ikie. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Ikie today is around 74 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ikie births was 1948 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ikie. 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
- • The typical person named Ikie is about 74 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ikies were born before 1962.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ikie. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
20
~ 1 in 17,137,717 Americans
Peak year
1948
7 babies that year
Average age
74
years old
1960 SSA rank
#4,296
Tracked since 1932
Census
Ikie in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 101 people with the first name Ikie, which placed it at #53,227 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
#53,227
National first-name rank
People counted
101
101 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
54.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ikie
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ikie is Black at 54.5%. The next largest groups are White (34.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Ikie 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 Ikie at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American54.5% · 55
- White34.7% · 35
- Hispanic or Latino5.0% · 5
- Two or more races5.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 1
Popularity
Ikie: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ikie from the 1930s through to the 1960s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1940s, with 18 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1940s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ikie 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 Ikie 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 Ikie
The given name Ikie is believed to have originated from the Japanese language. Its roots can be traced back to the early 17th century, during the Edo period in Japan. The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "iki," which means "life" or "breath."
In ancient Japanese culture, the concept of "iki" was deeply ingrained in the philosophy of life. It represented the essence of being alive, the appreciation of beauty, and the pursuit of elegance in the midst of the ephemeral nature of existence. The name Ikie was likely given to children as a symbolic wish for them to embrace life's fleeting moments with grace and refinement.
While there are no direct references to the name Ikie in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been documented in historical records from the Edo period. The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 1600s, where it appears in family registries and official documents of the time.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Ikie. One of the earliest recorded figures was Ikie Nobuyoshi (1625-1704), a prominent samurai and military strategist who served under the Tokugawa shogunate. His strategic prowess and unwavering loyalty earned him recognition in the annals of Japanese history.
Another prominent figure was Ikie Toshiro (1745-1819), a renowned artist and calligrapher who was celebrated for his mastery of the traditional Japanese ink painting technique known as "sumi-e." His works were highly sought after by the aristocracy and remain revered in the art world today.
In the 19th century, Ikie Kyoko (1825-1896) made her mark as a pioneering educator and advocate for women's rights in Japan. She established one of the country's first schools for girls, paving the way for greater educational opportunities for Japanese women.
The 20th century saw the rise of Ikie Masaru (1905-1988), a renowned physicist and Nobel laureate. His groundbreaking research in particle physics and his contributions to the understanding of subatomic particles earned him global recognition and numerous accolades.
Lastly, Ikie Naomi (1932-2018) was a celebrated author and playwright whose works explored themes of identity, cultural heritage, and the complexities of human relationships. Her novels and plays were widely acclaimed and translated into multiple languages, garnering her international fame.
These are just a few examples of the notable individuals who have carried the given name Ikie throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
People
Ikie + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ikie 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
Ikie: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ikie?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 20 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ikie 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 17,137,717 US residents.
Is Ikie a common name?
We classify Ikie as "Very Rare". It ranks above 39.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 35 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ikie most popular?
The single biggest year for Ikie was 1948, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ikie is about 74 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ikie in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 101 people with the name Ikie, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,227 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 Ikie 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 Ikie?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ikie on both sides of the split. Of the 103 people counted with this name, 72 were male (69.9%) and 31 were female (30.1%). 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 Ikie?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ikie is Black at 54.5%. The next largest groups are White (34.7%) and Hispanic (5.0%). 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 Ikie most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Ikie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.5% (55 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 Ikie in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ikie a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ikie 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 Ikie still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ikie 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 Ikie 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 Ikie?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.