Nitika
A feminine name of Hindi origin meaning "virtuous" or "principled".
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the first name Nitika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nitika today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nitika births was 2005 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nitika. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Nitika with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
144
~ 1 in 2,380,238 Americans
Peak year
2005
14 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2017 SSA rank
#17,738
Tracked since 1973
Census
Nitika in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 422 people with the first name Nitika, which placed it at #23,260 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
#23,260
National first-name rank
People counted
422
422 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
79.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Nitika
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nitika is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and White (3.1%). 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 Nitika 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 Nitika at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander79.1% · 334
- Black or African American12.1% · 51
- White3.1% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino2.1% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 9
- Two or more races1.4% · 6
Popularity
Nitika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nitika from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 48 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nitika remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nitika 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 Nitika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Nitikas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Nitika
The name Nitika has its origins in the Sanskrit language and is derived from the word "niti," which means "ethics" or "moral principles." It is a name commonly found in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Hindu communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nitika can be traced back to ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, where it was often used to refer to individuals who embodied virtues and lived by moral principles. In the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, there is a character named Nitika, who is described as a wise and righteous individual.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Nitika. One of the most prominent was Nitika Devi, a 16th-century queen of the Rajput kingdom of Mewar in present-day Rajasthan, India. She was known for her courage and leadership during times of conflict and is celebrated as a symbol of strength and resilience.
Another notable Nitika was Nitika Sharma, a renowned classical dancer from India who was born in 1930. She was a leading exponent of the Kathak dance form and contributed significantly to its preservation and promotion. Sharma received numerous accolades for her artistic achievements, including the prestigious Padma Shri award from the Indian government.
In the field of literature, Nitika Nanda was a prominent Indian writer and poet who lived from 1940 to 2015. She was known for her poignant and thought-provoking works that explored themes of love, loss, and human emotions. Nanda's poetry collections, such as "Phulon Ka Shehzada" and "Chehre," received critical acclaim and helped establish her as a significant voice in contemporary Indian literature.
Nitika Mukherjee, born in 1953, is another notable individual who has made significant contributions to the field of education. She is a renowned educator and social activist who has worked tirelessly to promote literacy and women's empowerment in India. Mukherjee has received numerous awards and honors for her efforts, including the prestigious Padma Shri award.
Lastly, Nitika Pant Dhawan is a contemporary Indian politician and social worker who has served as a member of the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament. Born in 1961, she has been actively involved in various social and developmental initiatives, particularly in the areas of education and healthcare.
The name Nitika continues to be popular in Indian communities, reflecting the enduring cultural and spiritual significance of its meaning and origins.
People
Nitika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nitika 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
Nitika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nitika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 144 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nitika 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 2,380,238 US residents.
Is Nitika a common name?
We classify Nitika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 149 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nitika most popular?
The single biggest year for Nitika was 2005, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nitika is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Nitika in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 422 people with the name Nitika, or 0.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #23,260 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 Nitika 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 Nitika?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Nitika leans strongly female. 415 people counted with this name were female (98.6%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.4%). 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 Nitika?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Nitika is Asian/Pacific Islander at 79.1%. The next largest groups are Black (12.1%) and White (3.1%). 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 Nitika most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Nitika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.1% (334 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 Nitika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nitika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nitika 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 Nitika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nitika 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 Nitika 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 many people have the name Nitika?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.