Ipek
A Turkish feminine name meaning "silk" or "delicate fabric".
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Ipek. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ipek today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ipek births was 2018 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ipek. 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 Ipek. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2018
10 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,463
Tracked since 2004
Popularity
Ipek: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ipek from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 54 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ipek 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 Ipek 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 Ipek
The name Ipek originates from the Turkish language and dates back to the Ottoman Empire period. It is derived from the Turkish word "ipek," which means "silk." This suggests that the name may have been associated with the silk trade or silk production, which was a significant industry in the Ottoman Empire.
In Turkish culture, the name Ipek is a feminine name often given to girls. Its connection to silk symbolizes elegance, beauty, and delicacy. The name has been in use for several centuries and has been borne by notable figures throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Ipek can be found in the Ottoman court records from the 16th century. Ipek Hatun (c. 1530-1580) was a renowned Ottoman courtier and the wife of Grand Vizier Sokollu Mehmed Pasha, who served during the reign of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent.
Another notable bearer of the name was Ipek Gökçen (1935-2012), a Turkish aviator and the first female fighter pilot in the Turkish Air Force. She made history by becoming the first Turkish female to earn a commercial pilot's license and fly a jet aircraft.
Ipek Sanaltan (1891-1972) was a Turkish author and journalist who played a significant role in the Turkish women's movement and the promotion of women's rights in the early 20th century.
In the field of art, Ipek Duben (1963-) is a prominent Turkish artist and academic known for her explorations of identity, memory, and cultural heritage through her installations and multimedia works.
Ipek Çalislar (1979-) is a contemporary Turkish novelist and screenwriter who has received critical acclaim for her works exploring themes of love, loss, and the complexities of modern relationships.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Ipek throughout history, reflecting its enduring presence and significance in Turkish culture and society.
People
Ipek + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ipek 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
Ipek: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ipek?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ipek 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Ipek a common name?
We classify Ipek as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ipek most popular?
The single biggest year for Ipek was 2018, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ipek is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Ipek a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ipek 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.
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.