Lakia
A feminine name of uncertain origin and meaning, possibly from Arabic roots.
Name Census estimates that about 2,506 living Americans carry the first name Lakia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lakia today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lakia births was 1985 (114 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lakia. 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.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 136,773 Americans
Peak year
1985
114 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2018 SSA rank
#13,214
Tracked since 1973
Census
Lakia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,042 people with the first name Lakia, which placed it at #7,468 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
#7,468
National first-name rank
People counted
2.0K
2,042 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lakia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lakia is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.8%). 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 Lakia 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 Lakia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.7% · 1,831
- Two or more races4.2% · 85
- White3.8% · 78
- Hispanic or Latino2.0% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.0% · 1
Popularity
Lakia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lakia from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 997 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lakia 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 Lakia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lakias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Lakia, while Massachusetts, Louisiana, Mississippi recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 60 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Lakia
The name Lakia has its origins in the Sanskrit language, which is one of the oldest known Indo-European languages. It is believed to have emerged around the 2nd millennium BCE in the Indian subcontinent. The name Lakia is derived from the Sanskrit word "lakshmi," which means "prosperity" or "good fortune." This connection suggests that the name was initially bestowed upon children with the intention of bringing them luck and abundance throughout their lives.
In ancient Hindu mythology, Lakshmi is the goddess of wealth, fortune, and prosperity. She is revered as the consort of Lord Vishnu, one of the principal deities in Hinduism. The name Lakia is closely tied to this divine figure, making it a popular choice among Hindus for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lakia can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures known as the Puranas, which date back to the 3rd century CE. These texts contain stories and legends that depict the significance of the goddess Lakshmi and her role in the Hindu pantheon.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lakia. One of the most famous was Lakia of Argos, a Greek poet who lived in the 6th century BCE. Her works, unfortunately, have been lost to time, but she is mentioned in ancient Greek literature as a renowned lyric poet.
Another notable Lakia was Lakia Rani, a 16th-century Indian queen who ruled the Gond Kingdom in central India. She was known for her progressive policies and her efforts to promote education and the arts during her reign.
In the 19th century, Lakia Vaidehi was a prominent Indian social reformer and writer. She advocated for women's rights and education, challenging the societal norms of her time. Her writings and activism played a crucial role in the Indian renaissance movement.
Lakia Grover, born in 1925, was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was instrumental in popularizing and preserving the traditional Kathak dance form through her performances and teachings.
Lastly, Lakia Kapoor, born in 1954, is a renowned Indian actress who has appeared in numerous Bollywood films. She is widely regarded as one of the most influential and iconic actresses of her generation, known for her versatile performances and her contribution to Indian cinema.
People
Lakia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lakia 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
Lakia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lakia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,506 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lakia 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 136,773 US residents.
Is Lakia a common name?
We classify Lakia as "Rare". It ranks above 94.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,639 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lakia most popular?
The single biggest year for Lakia was 1985, when 114 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lakia is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lakia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,042 people with the name Lakia, or 0.68 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,468 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 Lakia 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 Lakia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lakia appears almost entirely female. Of the 2,044 people counted with this name, 99.4% 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 Lakia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lakia is Black at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.2%) and White (3.8%). 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 Lakia most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lakia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (1,831 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 Lakia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lakia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lakia 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 Lakia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lakia 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 Lakia 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 named Lakia?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.