Lakisa
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "one who smiles".
Name Census estimates that about 242 living Americans carry the first name Lakisa. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lakisa today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lakisa births was 1977 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lakisa. 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
242
~ 1 in 1,416,340 Americans
Peak year
1977
30 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1989 SSA rank
#7,758
Tracked since 1970
Census
Lakisa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 160 people with the first name Lakisa, which placed it at #43,806 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
#43,806
National first-name rank
People counted
160
160 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Lakisa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lakisa is Black at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and White (1.3%). 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 Lakisa 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 Lakisa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.8% · 150
- Two or more races3.8% · 6
- White1.3% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 2
Popularity
Lakisa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lakisa from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 160 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Lakisa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Lakisa 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 Lakisa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Lakisas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Lakisa
The given name Lakisa has its origins in the Sanskrit language, tracing back to ancient India around the 3rd century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "lakshya," which means "aim" or "target," signifying a person with a clear sense of purpose and determination.
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Upanishads and the Mahabharata, the name Lakisa is mentioned as a symbol of focus and dedication. It was often given to children with the hope that they would grow up to be steadfast in their pursuits and achieve their goals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lakisa can be found in the Amaravati epigraphs, a collection of inscriptions from the ancient Buddhist stupa of Amaravati, dating back to the 2nd century CE. These inscriptions mention a Buddhist nun named Lakisa, who was revered for her devotion to the teachings of the Buddha.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Lakisa. One such figure was Lakisa Vatsyayana, a renowned Indian philosopher and author who lived in the 3rd century CE. He is best known for his seminal work, the Kama Sutra, a treatise on human love, desire, and relationships.
In the 11th century, Lakisa Bhattacharya was a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and poet from Bengal, India. She is credited with composing several influential works on grammar, poetry, and philosophy, and her contributions to the field of Sanskrit literature are still widely studied and appreciated.
During the 16th century, Lakisa Devi was a powerful queen who ruled the kingdom of Cooch Behar, situated in present-day West Bengal, India. She is remembered for her strategic military prowess and her efforts in promoting education and cultural development within her realm.
In the realm of arts and culture, Lakisa Karuna was a renowned Indonesian dancer and choreographer who lived in the 20th century. Born in 1935, she dedicated her life to preserving and promoting traditional Javanese dance forms, earning her numerous accolades and recognition both nationally and internationally.
Another notable bearer of the name was Lakisa Rizki, an Indonesian environmentalist and activist who tirelessly campaigned for the protection of rainforests and indigenous communities in her home country. Her efforts played a crucial role in raising awareness about environmental issues and advocating for sustainable practices.
People
Lakisa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lakisa 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
Lakisa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lakisa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 242 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lakisa 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 1,416,340 US residents.
Is Lakisa a common name?
We classify Lakisa as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 263 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lakisa most popular?
The single biggest year for Lakisa was 1977, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lakisa is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Lakisa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 160 people with the name Lakisa, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,806 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 Lakisa 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 Lakisa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Lakisa appears almost entirely female. Of the 160 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 Lakisa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Lakisa is Black at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and White (1.3%). 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 Lakisa most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Lakisa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (150 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 Lakisa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lakisa a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lakisa 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 Lakisa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lakisa 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 Lakisa 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 Lakisa?
Want to know how many people share the name Lakisa? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.