Ngina
A feminine Kiswahili name meaning "she walks beautifully/with grace".
Name Census estimates that about 70 living Americans carry the first name Ngina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Ngina today is around 50 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ngina births was 1972 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ngina. 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 Ngina. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
70
~ 1 in 4,896,491 Americans
Peak year
1972
13 babies that year
Average age
50
years old
1993 SSA rank
#12,940
Tracked since 1971
Popularity
Ngina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ngina from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 71 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ngina 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 Ngina 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 Ngina
The name Ngina has its origins in the Kikuyu language, spoken by the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It is believed to have been derived from the word "ngina," which means "to bask in the sun." This suggests that the name may have been given to children born during sunny or warm seasons.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Ngina can be traced back to the 16th century, where it was mentioned in oral traditions and folklore of the Kikuyu people. It was a popular name among the Kikuyu, who valued its connection to the natural world and the warm embrace of the sun.
In the 18th century, the name Ngina gained prominence when it was bestowed upon a prominent Kikuyu leader and warrior, Ngina wa Karing'a (c. 1730-1810). She played a significant role in the resistance against the Maasai raids and was renowned for her bravery and strategic leadership.
Another notable figure with the name Ngina was Ngina Kenyatta (1888-1952), the fourth wife of Jomo Kenyatta, the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. She was a influential figure in her own right, known for her advocacy for women's rights and her involvement in the Mau Mau uprising against British colonial rule.
In the 20th century, the name Ngina gained international recognition when it was given to Ngina Kenyatta (born 1940), the daughter of Jomo Kenyatta and Ngina Kenyatta. She served as the First Lady of Kenya from 1978 to 2002 during the presidency of her husband, Daniel arap Moi.
Another notable bearer of the name Ngina was Ngina Likanyi (1935-2014), a Kenyan lawyer and human rights activist. She was a prominent figure in the fight for democracy and played a crucial role in the establishment of the National Council of Women of Kenya.
The name Ngina has remained popular among the Kikuyu people and has been adopted by other communities in Kenya and beyond, reflecting its rich cultural heritage and connection to the warm and radiant qualities associated with its meaning.
People
Ngina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ngina 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
Ngina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ngina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 70 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ngina 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 4,896,491 US residents.
Is Ngina a common name?
We classify Ngina as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 77 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ngina most popular?
The single biggest year for Ngina was 1972, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ngina is about 50 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 Ngina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ngina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Ngina 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 Ngina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ngina 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 Ngina 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 Americans are named Ngina?
See how many Americans are named Ngina on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.