Kritika
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "conscious, enlightened".
Name Census estimates that about 211 living Americans carry the first name Kritika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kritika today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kritika births was 2006 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kritika. 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 Kritika with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
211
~ 1 in 1,624,428 Americans
Peak year
2006
17 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,639
Tracked since 1993
Census
Kritika in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 614 people with the first name Kritika, which placed it at #17,775 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
#17,775
National first-name rank
People counted
614
614 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
96.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kritika
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kritika is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Kritika 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 Kritika at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander96.4% · 592
- White1.8% · 11
- Black or African American0.7% · 4
- Two or more races0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 3
Popularity
Kritika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kritika from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 86 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kritika remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kritika 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 Kritika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kritikas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kritika
The name Kritika has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "kritika," which means "critique" or "criticism." The name is believed to have first emerged around the 5th century BCE during the Vedic period of Indian history.
In ancient Hindu texts, Kritika was the name given to a prominent star cluster or constellation in the night sky. This celestial connection suggests that the name was originally associated with astrology and cosmic significance. Some scholars also believe that the name may have been used to denote a person with a sharp and analytical mind, capable of offering constructive criticism.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kritika can be found in the Hindu epic poem Mahabharata, which dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this ancient text, Kritika is mentioned as the name of a minor character, a young woman who is described as being exceptionally intelligent and critical in her thinking.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kritika. One of the most famous was Kritika Pandey (1880-1944), an Indian freedom fighter and social activist who played a significant role in the country's independence movement against British colonial rule. She was a prominent member of the Indian National Congress and worked tirelessly to promote women's rights and education.
Another influential figure was Kritika Kulshrestha (1957-2021), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was widely regarded as one of the foremost exponents of the Kathak dance form and was the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors.
In the field of literature, Kritika Chanda (born 1978) is a notable Indian poet and writer. Her works often explore themes of identity, gender, and social issues, and she has received several accolades, including the Sahitya Akademi Yuva Puraskar, a prestigious literary award for young writers.
Outside of India, Kritika Kultura (born 1985) is a prominent Croatian artist and activist. Her work often combines elements of performance art, installation, and social commentary, tackling issues such as gender equality, human rights, and environmental sustainability.
Lastly, Kritika Pandey (born 1991) is a British-Indian actress who has appeared in several popular television shows and films. She is known for her versatile acting abilities and has received critical acclaim for her performances in productions like "The Night Of" and "Serendipity."
People
Kritika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kritika 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
Kritika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kritika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 211 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kritika 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 1,624,428 US residents.
Is Kritika a common name?
We classify Kritika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 213 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kritika most popular?
The single biggest year for Kritika was 2006, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kritika is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kritika in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 614 people with the name Kritika, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,775 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 Kritika 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 Kritika?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kritika appears almost entirely female. Of the 618 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 Kritika?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kritika is Asian/Pacific Islander at 96.4%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Black (0.7%). 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 Kritika most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kritika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.4% (592 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 Kritika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kritika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kritika 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 Kritika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kritika 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 Kritika 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 Kritika?
For a quick modern take, check how many Americans are named Kritika on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.