Kartika
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "little brightness", associated with the Hindu deity Kartika.
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Kartika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kartika today is around 58 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kartika births was 1967 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kartika. 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 Kartika. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
1967
8 babies that year
Average age
58
years old
1973 SSA rank
#8,993
Tracked since 1967
Popularity
Kartika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kartika from the 1960s through to the 1970s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 8 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1960s peak, Kartika remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kartika 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 Kartika 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 Kartika
The name Kartika originates from Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that served as the root of many modern languages of the Indian subcontinent. It finds its origins in the Hindu tradition, where Kartika is one of the names for the Hindu war god Kartikeya, also known as Skanda or Murugan. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "krttikas," which refers to the Pleiades star cluster.
In Hindu mythology, Kartikeya is the son of Lord Shiva and the divine embodiment of beauty and perfection. He is revered as the deity of war, beauty, and spiritual enlightenment. The name Kartika is closely associated with this deity, and it is believed to bestow bravery, strength, and spiritual wisdom upon those who bear it.
The name Kartika has been found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Mahabharata and the Puranas, which date back to several centuries BCE. These texts contain various stories and legends surrounding the birth and exploits of Kartikeya, further cementing the significance of the name in Hindu culture.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kartika. One of the earliest recorded examples is Kartika Tirtha Maharaj (1884-1975), a renowned spiritual leader and religious reformer in India. Another notable figure was Kartika Shukla (1925-2003), an Indian social activist and writer who fought for women's rights and social justice.
In the field of literature, Kartika Affandi (1934-2017) was an Indonesian novelist and short story writer, known for her works that explored social and cultural issues. Kartika Sari Dewi Shukarno (1903-1985) was a prominent Indonesian poet and writer, celebrated for her contributions to the development of modern Indonesian literature.
Kartika Wijayanti (born 1989) is a contemporary Indonesian badminton player who has won numerous international tournaments, including the Southeast Asian Games and the Asian Games. Her achievements have brought pride and recognition to the name Kartika in the sporting world.
The name Kartika has a rich historical and cultural significance, deeply rooted in Hindu traditions and mythology. It has been borne by individuals across various fields, each leaving their mark on society and contributing to the diverse tapestry of human history.
People
Kartika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kartika as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kartika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kartika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kartika 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Kartika a common name?
We classify Kartika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kartika most popular?
The single biggest year for Kartika was 1967, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kartika is about 58 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kartika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kartika 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.