Nekoda
A masculine name of West African origin meaning "true self".
Name Census estimates that about 238 living Americans carry the first name Nekoda. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 85.0% of registrations being male. The average person named Nekoda today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nekoda births was 2013 (20 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nekoda. 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
238
~ 1 in 1,440,144 Americans
Peak year
2013
20 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,365
Tracked since 1983
Census
Nekoda in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 240 people with the first name Nekoda, which placed it at #34,133 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
#34,133
National first-name rank
People counted
240
240 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
56.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nekoda
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nekoda is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (11.3%). 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 Nekoda 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 Nekoda at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White56.3% · 135
- Black or African American19.2% · 46
- Two or more races11.3% · 27
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.6% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Nekoda
Nekoda leans heavily male at 85.0% of total registrations, but 36 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Nekoda as a male name
- Ranked #5,365 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (18 births)
Nekoda as a female name
- Ranked #16,975 in 2021
- 5 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2016 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nekoda on both sides of the split. Of the 246 people counted with this name, 167 were male (67.9%) and 79 were female (32.1%).
Popularity
Nekoda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nekoda from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 123 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Nekoda remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nekoda 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 Nekoda 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 Nekoda
The name Nekoda is believed to have its origins in ancient Hebrew, where it is thought to be derived from the root words "naqad" and "naqod," both of which are associated with the concepts of marking, puncturing, or dotting. This suggests that the name may have been initially given to individuals involved in activities related to inscribing or marking, such as scribes or artisans.
The earliest recorded mention of the name Nekoda can be traced back to the biblical book of Ezra, where it is listed as the name of one of the leaders who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity in the 5th century BCE. This reference suggests that the name was already in use among the Jewish population during this period.
Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the name Nekoda. One such example is Nekoda ben Hakalya, a renowned Jewish scholar and poet who lived in Spain during the 11th century. His works contributed significantly to the development of Hebrew poetry and literature during the Golden Age of Jewish culture in Spain.
Another historical figure with the name Nekoda was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Krakow, Poland, in the 16th century. Records indicate that he played a crucial role in mediating disputes and fostering good relations between the Jewish population and the local authorities.
In the 17th century, a Jewish philosopher and theologian named Nekoda ben Yitzhak gained recognition for his writings on Jewish law and mysticism. His works explored various aspects of the Kabbalah and its interpretation within the context of traditional Jewish teachings.
Moving forward in time, the name Nekoda also appears in the records of the 19th century, when a prominent rabbi named Nekoda ben Avraham served as the chief rabbi of the Jewish community in Aleppo, Syria. He was highly regarded for his scholarly contributions and his efforts in preserving and transmitting Jewish traditions.
These historical references and individuals highlight the enduring presence of the name Nekoda across different eras and regions, particularly within Jewish communities. While the name may have originated from ancient Hebrew roots, its usage has transcended geographical boundaries and cultural contexts, making it a part of the diverse tapestry of human nomenclature.
People
Nekoda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nekoda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nekoda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nekoda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 238 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nekoda 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 1,440,144 US residents.
Is Nekoda a common name?
We classify Nekoda as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nekoda most popular?
The single biggest year for Nekoda was 2013, when 20 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nekoda is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nekoda in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 240 people with the name Nekoda, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,133 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 Nekoda 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 Nekoda?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Nekoda on both sides of the split. Of the 246 people counted with this name, 167 were male (67.9%) and 79 were female (32.1%). 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 Nekoda?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nekoda is White at 56.3%. The next largest groups are Black (19.2%) and Two or More Races (11.3%). 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 Nekoda most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Nekoda in the 2020 Census, accounting for 56.3% (135 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 Nekoda in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nekoda a male name?
Yes, 85.0% of people registered as Nekoda 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 Nekoda still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nekoda 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 Nekoda 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 common is the name Nekoda?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.