Miakoda
A feminine name potentially derived from the Native American Mingo language.
Name Census estimates that about 206 living Americans carry the first name Miakoda. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Miakoda today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Miakoda births was 2004 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Miakoda. 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
206
~ 1 in 1,663,856 Americans
Peak year
2004
16 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,828
Tracked since 1999
Popularity
Miakoda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Miakoda from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 97 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Miakoda 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 Miakoda 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 Miakoda
The given name Miakoda is believed to have its origins in the Native American languages of the Algonquian family, spoken by various indigenous tribes across parts of North America. Miakoda is thought to be a feminine name derived from the Algonquian root words "miah" meaning "path" or "road" and "koda" signifying "among the trees" or "in the forest".
This name likely emerged during the pre-colonial era, when Native American tribes had a deep connection with nature and their surroundings. The combination of "miah" and "koda" suggests that Miakoda may have been given to girls born in or near forested areas, symbolizing a path or journey through the woods.
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts mentioning the name Miakoda, its linguistic roots can be traced back to the Algonquian language family, which was spoken by tribes such as the Pequot, Wampanoag, and Lenape, among others.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Miakoda was a Pequot woman born in the late 17th century in what is now Connecticut. She played a role in maintaining peaceful relations between her tribe and the English settlers during that time period.
Another notable figure was Miakoda Wildcat, a Cherokee woman born in the early 19th century, who was known for her skills in traditional basket weaving and pottery making. She helped preserve and pass down these cultural traditions to future generations.
In the 20th century, Miakoda Merritt (1923-2002) was a prominent activist and educator who advocated for Native American rights and worked to promote indigenous languages and cultural preservation.
Miakoda Starr (1942-2018) was a renowned author and storyteller from the Mohawk Nation, who wrote several books and plays that explored Native American themes and experiences.
Miakoda Blackhorse (born 1970) is a contemporary artist and sculptor of Navajo and Seminole descent, known for her works that blend traditional Native American motifs with modern artistic styles.
People
Miakoda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Miakoda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Miakoda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Miakoda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 206 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Miakoda 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 1,663,856 US residents.
Is Miakoda a common name?
We classify Miakoda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Miakoda most popular?
The single biggest year for Miakoda was 2004, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Miakoda is about 16 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 Miakoda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Miakoda a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Miakoda 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 Miakoda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Miakoda 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 Miakoda 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 are named Miakoda?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.