Sidiki
Of West African origin, meaning "student of truth and knowledge".
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Sidiki. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sidiki today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sidiki births was 2001 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sidiki. 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 Sidiki. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
2001
7 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2019 SSA rank
#11,926
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Sidiki: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Sidiki from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 7 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Sidiki 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 Sidiki 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 Sidiki
The name Sidiki originates from the Bambara language spoken by the Bambara people of Mali in West Africa. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 13th century, when the Mali Empire was at its peak.
Sidiki is derived from the Bambara word "sidi," which means "to give" or "to provide." The suffix "-ki" is a diminutive form, indicating smallness or endearment. Therefore, the name Sidiki can be interpreted as "the little one who gives" or "the little provider."
In the oral traditions and folklore of the Bambara people, Sidiki was often used as a name for children, particularly boys, as a way of expressing the hope that they would grow up to be generous and provide for their families and communities.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sidiki can be found in the Tarikh al-Fattash, a 16th-century chronicle written by the Timbuktu scholar Mahmoud Kati. The text mentions a man named Sidiki Traore, who was a prominent figure in the Bambara Kingdom during the late 15th century.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Sidiki:
1. Sidiki N'Fa Samake (c. 1800-1870), a Bambara griot (oral historian) renowned for his mastery of the kora (a West African harp) and his extensive knowledge of the region's history and traditions.
2. Sidiki Bakaba (1842-1923), a Malian military leader and resistance fighter who fought against the French colonial forces during the late 19th century.
3. Sidiki Diabaté (1835-1889), a Malian kora player and griot from the Diabaté family, one of the most renowned griot lineages in West Africa.
4. Sidiki Kobele Keita (1873-1940), a Malian educator and reformer who established one of the first modern schools in Mali, aimed at promoting education and preserving traditional Bambara culture.
5. Sidiki Diabaté (1923-1996), a Malian kora player and griot, considered one of the greatest masters of the instrument in the 20th century. He was instrumental in preserving and promoting the traditional music of Mali.
Throughout its history, the name Sidiki has been deeply rooted in the Bambara culture and traditions, symbolizing generosity, provision, and a connection to the rich oral heritage of West Africa.
People
Sidiki + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sidiki 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
Sidiki: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sidiki?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sidiki 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Sidiki a common name?
We classify Sidiki as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sidiki most popular?
The single biggest year for Sidiki was 2001, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sidiki is about 17 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 Sidiki in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sidiki a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sidiki 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 Sidiki still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sidiki 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 Sidiki 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 Sidiki?
See how many people have the name Sidiki on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.