Sakima
An Arabic feminine name meaning a person of high rank.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Sakima. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Sakima today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sakima births was 1977 (10 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sakima. 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 Sakima. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1977
10 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2009 SSA rank
#10,890
Tracked since 1977
Gender
Gender distribution for Sakima
Sakima is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 15 total registrations, 10 (66.7%) were male and 5 (33.3%) were female.
Sakima as a male name
- Ranked #14,115 in 2009
- 5 male births in 2009
- Peak: 1977 (5 births)
Sakima as a female name
- Ranked #10,890 in 1977
- 5 female births in 1977
- Peak: 1977 (5 births)
Popularity
Sakima: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sakima from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 10 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Sakima remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sakima 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 Sakima 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 Sakima
The name Sakima has its origins in the indigenous languages of North America, specifically the Abenaki and Penobscot tribes of the Northeastern Woodlands region. It is believed to have emerged in the late 16th or early 17th century, during the initial encounters between European colonists and the native inhabitants of what is now New England.
Sakima is derived from the Abenaki word "Sagamo," which translates to "chief" or "leader." This linguistic connection suggests that the name was likely bestowed upon individuals who held positions of authority and respect within their communities. It is possible that early European settlers and traders adopted the term as a means of identifying and addressing the tribal leaders they encountered.
While there are no definitive records of the name Sakima appearing in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its usage can be traced back to the earliest written accounts of interactions between European explorers and the indigenous populations of the region. Some of the earliest recorded examples can be found in the journals and chronicles of early colonists, such as those of William Bradford and Thomas Morton.
One of the earliest documented individuals to bear the name Sakima was Massasoit, the Grand Sachem (chief) of the Wampanoag Confederacy, who forged an alliance with the Pilgrims of Plymouth Colony in the early 1620s. Another notable figure was Uncas, the Sakima (chief) of the Mohegan tribe, who played a pivotal role in the Pequot War of 1637.
In the 18th century, Sakima became a popular name among members of the Penobscot tribe, who resided in what is now Maine. One prominent individual was Sakima Joan Neptune, a respected leader and diplomat who played a crucial role in negotiating treaties between the Penobscot and the British colonial authorities in the mid-1700s.
Another historically significant figure was Sakima Hendrick, a Mohawk chief who fought alongside the British during the French and Indian War in the 1750s. He was instrumental in securing alliances with other Native American tribes and played a vital role in several major battles.
In the 19th century, Sakima Shingwauk, an Ojibwe chief from Ontario, Canada, became known for his efforts to promote education and cultural preservation among his people. He founded the Shingwauk Residential School, one of the earliest residential schools for indigenous children in Canada.
People
Sakima + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sakima as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sakima: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sakima?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sakima 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Sakima a common name?
We classify Sakima as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sakima most popular?
The single biggest year for Sakima was 1977, when 10 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sakima is about 38 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 Sakima in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sakima a male name?
Yes, 66.7% of people registered as Sakima 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 Sakima still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sakima 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 Sakima 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 Sakima?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.