Ilga
A feminine name of Lithuanian origin meaning "long".
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Ilga. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ilga today is around 73 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ilga births was 1953 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ilga. 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 Ilga is about 73 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Ilgas were born before 1963.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Ilga. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1953
6 babies that year
Average age
73
years old
1953 SSA rank
#5,294
Tracked since 1953
Census
Ilga in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 129 people with the first name Ilga, which placed it at #48,862 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
#48,862
National first-name rank
People counted
129
129 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
96.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ilga
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ilga is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Ilga 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 Ilga at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.1% · 124
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 4
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Popularity
Ilga: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Ilga 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 Ilga during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950s | 0 | 6 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Ilga
The given name Ilga is of Latvian origin, derived from the old Norse word "hildr," which means "battle." This name gained popularity in the Baltic region during the Middle Ages, particularly among the Latvian people.
Ilga was a name commonly associated with strength, resilience, and bravery. It was often given to girls born into noble or warrior families, as it symbolized the virtues valued in those circles. The name's connection to the concept of battle reflects the region's rich history of conflicts and struggles for independence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Ilga can be traced back to the 13th century, when it appeared in Latvian chronicles documenting the lives of prominent figures. Several notable women in Latvian history bore this name, including Ilga Lase (1893-1977), a renowned Latvian actress and theater director who played a significant role in the development of Latvian theater.
Another prominent figure with the name Ilga was Ilga Apine (1930-2019), a celebrated Latvian poet and translator. Her works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, earning her numerous awards and accolades throughout her career.
In the realm of sports, Ilga Shuvajeva (born 1965) stands out as a former Soviet gymnast who won multiple medals, including gold, at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Her athletic achievements brought pride and recognition to her name.
Beyond Latvia, the name Ilga also found its way into other cultures and regions. In Sweden, for instance, Ilga Wikander (1876-1953) was a prominent feminist and politician who advocated for women's rights and suffrage. Her contributions to the Swedish women's movement left a lasting impact.
Lastly, Ilga Vitse (1922-2002) was a notable Estonian composer and music educator. Her compositions, spanning various genres, played a significant role in the development of Estonian classical music in the 20th century.
While these are just a few examples, the name Ilga has been carried by numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of their respective cultures.
People
Ilga + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ilga 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
Ilga: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ilga?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ilga 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Ilga a common name?
We classify Ilga as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ilga most popular?
The single biggest year for Ilga was 1953, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ilga is about 73 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ilga in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 129 people with the name Ilga, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,862 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 Ilga 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 Ilga?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Ilga appears almost entirely female. Of the 133 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Ilga?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ilga is White at 96.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Ilga most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ilga in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.1% (124 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 Ilga in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ilga a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ilga 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 Ilga still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ilga 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 Ilga 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 the name Ilga?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Ilga, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.