Niamke
A Ghanaian feminine name meaning "born on Saturday".
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Niamke. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Niamke today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Niamke births was 1994 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Niamke. 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 Niamke. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
1994
7 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
1994 SSA rank
#7,520
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Niamke: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Niamke 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 Niamke during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Niamke
The name Niamke originates from the Akan language spoken by the Akan people of Ghana and Ivory Coast in West Africa. The name dates back several centuries and is believed to have derived from the Akan word "niam" which means "born on" and "ke" which means "Saturday."
Historically, the Akan people have a naming tradition where children are given names based on the day of the week they were born. Niamke would have been given to girls born on a Saturday. Similar spellings and variations of the name include Nyamkye, Nyamkie, and Nyameke.
There are no known references to the name Niamke in ancient texts or religious scriptures. However, it has been a popular name among the Akan people for generations, and there are records of notable individuals bearing this name throughout history.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Niamke is Niamke Opoku (c. 1700-1780), a renowned Queen Mother of the Ashanti Empire in present-day Ghana. She played a significant role in the political affairs of the empire during her reign.
Another notable figure with the name Niamke is Niamke Coulibaly (1932-2021), a Malian writer and playwright known for her contributions to the literary scene in Mali. Her works often explored themes of identity, gender, and social issues.
Niamke Diarra (1958-present) is a Malian politician who served as the Minister of Women, Children, and Family Affairs in Mali from 2002 to 2007. She has been an influential figure in advocating for women's rights and gender equality in her country.
Niamke Samake (1965-present) is a Malian sculptor and artist whose works have been exhibited internationally. She is renowned for her intricate sculptures and installations that blend traditional Malian art forms with contemporary styles.
Niamke Kaba (1978-present) is a Malian singer and songwriter known for her fusion of traditional Malian music with contemporary genres. She has released several acclaimed albums and has performed extensively across Africa and internationally.
People
Niamke + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Niamke 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
Niamke: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Niamke?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Niamke 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 48,964,905 US residents.
Is Niamke a common name?
We classify Niamke as "Very Rare". It ranks above 23.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 7 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Niamke most popular?
The single biggest year for Niamke was 1994, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Niamke is about 31 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 Niamke in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Niamke a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Niamke 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 Niamke still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Niamke 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 Niamke 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 common is the name Niamke?
See how many Americans are named Niamke on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.