Nipsey
An invented name likely derived from "nipper" meaning a youngster or lad.
Name Census estimates that about 7 living Americans carry the first name Nipsey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nipsey today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nipsey births was 2020 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nipsey. 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 Nipsey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
7
~ 1 in 48,964,905 Americans
Peak year
2020
7 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2020 SSA rank
#10,278
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Nipsey: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Nipsey 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 Nipsey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 7 | 0 | 7 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Nipsey
The name Nipsey is a relatively modern coinage with uncertain origins. It does not appear to derive from any particular language or culture of antiquity. Some sources suggest it may be a diminutive or pet form of the name Nippy, which itself is a nickname derived from the word "nip" meaning to pinch or nip at something.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nipsey appears to be in the late 19th century, although examples are quite rare. One of the first documented individuals with this first name was Nipsey Russell, an American comedian and poet who lived from 1924 to 2005. Russell embraced the unique name and made it his own throughout his successful career in entertainment.
Another notable bearer of the name Nipsey was Nipsey Wilson, a baseball player who competed in the Negro Leagues during the 1940s and 1950s. Wilson played for several teams, including the Kansas City Monarchs and the Birmingham Black Barons.
In more recent times, the name gained greater prominence with the rise of rapper and entrepreneur Nipsey Hussle, whose real name was Ermias Asghedom. Hussle, who lived from 1985 to 2019, was a respected figure in the hip-hop community and known for his philanthropic efforts in his hometown of Los Angeles.
Outside of these few examples, the name Nipsey remains quite uncommon. It does not seem to have any significant historical or cultural references beyond its modern usage as a unique given name in the English-speaking world.
One final bearer of the name worth mentioning is Nipsey Ayer, a former professional hockey player from Canada who played in the National Hockey League during the 1940s and 1950s. Ayer, born in 1924, spent most of his career with the Toronto Maple Leafs and was part of their Stanley Cup-winning team in 1951.
People
Nipsey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nipsey 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
Nipsey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nipsey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 7 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nipsey 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 Nipsey a common name?
We classify Nipsey 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 Nipsey most popular?
The single biggest year for Nipsey was 2020, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nipsey is about 6 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 Nipsey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nipsey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nipsey 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 Nipsey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nipsey 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 Nipsey 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 share the name Nipsey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.