Laiku
A unisex name of Hawaiian origin signifying a wreath or garland.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Laiku. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Laiku today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Laiku births was 2021 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Laiku. 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 Laiku. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2021
5 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,259
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Laiku: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Laiku 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 Laiku during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Laiku
The name Laiku is believed to have its origins in the ancient Polynesian language spoken across the islands of the Pacific Ocean, dating back to the 1st millennium AD. It is derived from the root word "laikū," which roughly translates to "serene" or "tranquil."
The earliest known references to the name Laiku come from oral traditions and legends passed down among the indigenous inhabitants of the Marquesas Islands, situated in the South Pacific. These tales often depicted Laiku as a revered figure, embodying the virtues of calmness, wisdom, and spiritual enlightenment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Laiku comes from a 16th-century manuscript discovered in the archives of a Catholic mission in Tahiti. This document, written in an early form of the Tahitian language, mentions a tribal chief named Laiku who was renowned for his diplomatic skills and ability to maintain peace among warring factions.
In the 18th century, the name Laiku gained prominence with the birth of Laiku Nui, a celebrated navigator and explorer from the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. Renowned for his proficiency in reading the stars and ocean currents, Laiku Nui is credited with leading voyages that facilitated the settlement of several remote Pacific islands.
Another notable figure bearing the name Laiku was Laiku Kahele, a Hawaiian chieftain who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Kahele was instrumental in preserving the cultural traditions and religious practices of his people during the turbulent period of Western colonization.
In more recent history, Laiku Tanoa, a renowned Fijian environmentalist and activist, was born in 1945. Tanoa dedicated his life to raising awareness about the impacts of climate change on Pacific Island nations and advocating for sustainable practices to protect the region's fragile ecosystems.
While the name Laiku has its roots in the ancient cultures of Polynesia, it has since spread to various parts of the world, carried by the descendants of Pacific Island communities. However, its historical significance and connection to the tranquil and harmonious way of life in the Pacific Islands remain deeply ingrained in its meaning and cultural significance.
People
Laiku + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Laiku as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with L
Other first names starting with L with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Laiku: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Laiku?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Laiku 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Laiku a common name?
We classify Laiku as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Laiku most popular?
The single biggest year for Laiku was 2021, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Laiku is about 5 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Laiku in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Laiku a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Laiku in the SSA data are male. 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 Laiku still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Laiku 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 Laiku 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many Americans are named Laiku?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.