Janki
A feminine name of Hindu origin meaning "born of Vishnu, Lakshmi's counterpart".
Name Census estimates that about 252 living Americans carry the first name Janki. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Janki today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Janki births was 1995 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Janki. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Janki with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
252
~ 1 in 1,360,136 Americans
Peak year
1995
29 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,182
Tracked since 1988
Census
Janki in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 826 people with the first name Janki, which placed it at #14,291 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
#14,291
National first-name rank
People counted
826
826 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
92.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Janki
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Janki is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and White (2.1%). 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 Janki 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 Janki at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander92.4% · 763
- Black or African American3.6% · 30
- White2.1% · 17
- Two or more races1.3% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino0.4% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 2
Popularity
Janki: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Janki from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 164 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Janki 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 Janki during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Jankis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Janki
Janki is a Hindi name with origins tracing back to ancient Sanskrit texts. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "janaka," which translates to "creator" or "father." It is believed to have emerged as a feminine variant of the name "Janaka," a revered king and philosopher mentioned in the sacred Hindu texts, the Upanishads.
In Hindu mythology, King Janaka was renowned for his wisdom and was the father of the legendary princess Sita, the consort of Lord Rama in the epic Ramayana. The name Janki, therefore, carries a spiritual and philosophical significance, symbolizing the qualities of wisdom, righteousness, and devotion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Janki can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit literature, such as the Upanishads and the Puranas. It was a popular name among Hindu communities, particularly in northern India, where it was often given to girls as a way to honor the virtues embodied by the mythological figure of Sita.
Historically, Janki has been the name of several notable individuals, including Janki Devi Bajaj (1917-2007), a prominent Indian social worker and activist who worked towards the upliftment of women and the underprivileged. Janki Devi Navale (1892-1971) was a renowned Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who actively participated in the Indian independence movement and advocated for women's rights.
Another influential figure bearing the name Janki was Janki Ati (1674-1712), a celebrated Marathi poetess and saint from the Bhakti movement in India. Her devotional poetry and spiritual compositions continue to be revered and recited to this day. Janki Valli (1909-1978) was a respected Indian politician and social activist who served as a member of the Constituent Assembly of India and played a pivotal role in shaping the nation's constitution.
Janki Ammal (1897-1984) was a pioneering Indian botanist and cytogeneticist who made significant contributions to the field of plant breeding and genetics. Her groundbreaking research on sugarcane and crop improvement earned her numerous accolades, including the prestigious Padma Shri award from the Indian government.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have borne the name Janki throughout history, each leaving an indelible mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich cultural tapestry of India and beyond.
People
Janki + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Janki as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with J
Other first names starting with J with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Janki: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Janki?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 252 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Janki 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 1,360,136 US residents.
Is Janki a common name?
We classify Janki as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 259 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Janki most popular?
The single biggest year for Janki was 1995, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Janki is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Janki in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 826 people with the name Janki, or 0.27 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,291 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 Janki 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 Janki?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Janki leans strongly female. 810 people counted with this name were female (98.3%), compared with 14 male bearers (1.7%). 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 Janki?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Janki is Asian/Pacific Islander at 92.4%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and White (2.1%). 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 Janki most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Janki in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.4% (763 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 Janki in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Janki a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Janki 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 Janki still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Janki 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 Janki 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 are called Janki?
You can see how many people have the name Janki on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.