Lakiva
A feminine name of unknown origin, potentially derived from an Indigenous language.
Name Census estimates that about 34 living Americans carry the first name Lakiva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Lakiva today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Lakiva births was 1980 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Lakiva. 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 Lakiva. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
34
~ 1 in 10,081,010 Americans
Peak year
1980
7 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1991 SSA rank
#10,905
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Lakiva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Lakiva from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 24 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
Lakiva 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 Lakiva 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 Lakiva
The name Lakiva is believed to have originated from the ancient Sumerian civilization, which flourished in the region of modern-day Iraq between the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. Etymologists have traced its roots to the Sumerian words "lakku," meaning "to carry," and "iva," meaning "life" or "soul." This suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon newborns with the intention of wishing them a long and prosperous life.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Lakiva can be found in a cuneiform tablet from the city of Uruk, dated to around 2500 BC. This tablet, which documented the births and names of children in the city, mentions a boy named Lakiva, son of a prominent merchant family.
The name gained further recognition during the reign of the Akkadian King Sargon the Great (circa 2334-2279 BC), who conquered and unified much of Mesopotamia. Historical records indicate that one of Sargon's trusted advisors and military commanders was a man named Lakiva, who played a crucial role in several of the king's military campaigns.
In ancient Egyptian texts, there are references to a high priestess named Lakiva who served in the temple of Isis in the city of Abydos during the 26th Dynasty (circa 664-525 BC). She was renowned for her wisdom and her dedication to the goddess Isis, and her name was often invoked in religious ceremonies and rituals.
During the Hellenistic period, a Greek philosopher named Lakiva (circa 300 BC) gained recognition for his teachings on ethics and virtue. He is believed to have been a disciple of Aristotle and is mentioned in several ancient texts as a prominent figure in the philosophical circles of Athens.
In more recent times, one of the most famous bearers of the name Lakiva was an Afghan poet and mystic who lived during the 16th century. Known as Lakiva Samarkandi (1495-1572), he was celebrated for his spiritual poetry and his contributions to the Sufi tradition. His works, which explore the themes of divine love and self-realization, continue to be revered and studied by scholars of Persian literature.
These are just a few examples of the historical significance and usage of the name Lakiva across various cultures and time periods. While its origins can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia, the name has left an enduring mark on the tapestry of human history, appearing in diverse contexts ranging from religious texts to philosophical treatises and literary works.
People
Lakiva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Lakiva 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
Lakiva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Lakiva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 34 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Lakiva 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 10,081,010 US residents.
Is Lakiva a common name?
We classify Lakiva as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 36 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Lakiva most popular?
The single biggest year for Lakiva was 1980, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Lakiva is about 42 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 Lakiva in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Lakiva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Lakiva 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 Lakiva still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Lakiva 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 Lakiva 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 people have the name Lakiva?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.