Onika
A feminine name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from Russian or English.
Name Census estimates that about 649 living Americans carry the first name Onika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Onika today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Onika births was 1975 (26 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Onika. 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
649
~ 1 in 528,127 Americans
Peak year
1975
26 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,045
Tracked since 1968
Popularity
Onika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Onika from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 161 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
Onika 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 Onika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Onikas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Onika
The name Onika has its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "anika," which means "unique" or "unparalleled." The name likely emerged sometime around the 5th century BCE, during the flourishing of the Vedic period in Indian history.
In ancient Hindu texts, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, the name Onika is occasionally mentioned as a name of minor deities or celestial beings. However, there are no major historical figures or characters associated with this name in these ancient scriptures.
The earliest recorded use of the name Onika can be traced back to the 7th century CE, during the Gupta Empire in India. A Sanskrit inscription from this period mentions an individual named Onika, who was a scholar and poet at the court of King Harsha.
Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Onika remained relatively uncommon, but it was occasionally used by Hindu families, particularly in the northern regions of India. One notable figure who bore this name was Onika Devi, a 13th-century mystic and spiritual teacher from the state of Rajasthan.
As trade and cultural exchange between India and other parts of the world increased during the medieval period, the name Onika also began to appear in other regions, albeit in modified forms. For instance, in the Persian language, it became "Oniqa," and in Arabic, it was written as "Unayqa."
During the 16th century, an Onika was recorded as a prominent musician and composer in the court of the Mughal Emperor Akbar. This Onika is credited with composing several classical ragas and contributing to the development of Hindustani music.
Another historical figure with the name Onika was a 17th-century scholar and poet from the city of Benares (present-day Varanasi). Her poetry, written in Sanskrit and Hindi, explored themes of spirituality and devotion.
In more recent centuries, the name Onika has remained relatively uncommon outside of South Asia. However, it has been used sporadically by individuals of Indian descent living in other parts of the world, often as a way to honor their cultural heritage.
People
Onika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Onika as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with O
Other first names starting with O with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Onika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Onika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 649 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Onika 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 528,127 US residents.
Is Onika a common name?
We classify Onika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 680 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Onika most popular?
The single biggest year for Onika was 1975, when 26 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Onika is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Onika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Onika 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.
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.