Umeka
A feminine Japanese name meaning "child of the plum blossom".
Name Census estimates that about 99 living Americans carry the first name Umeka. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Umeka today is around 49 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Umeka births was 1973 (24 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Umeka. 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 Umeka. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
99
~ 1 in 3,462,165 Americans
Peak year
1973
24 babies that year
Average age
49
years old
1992 SSA rank
#13,264
Tracked since 1971
Census
Umeka in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 131 people with the first name Umeka, which placed it at #48,547 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
#48,547
National first-name rank
People counted
131
131 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Umeka
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Umeka is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.5%). 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 Umeka 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 Umeka at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.1% · 122
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 2
- Two or more races1.5% · 2
Popularity
Umeka: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Umeka from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 83 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
Umeka 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 Umeka 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 Umeka
The name Umeka is believed to have originated from the Igbo language, spoken by the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria. It is a compound word derived from the Igbo words "umu" meaning "children" and "eka" meaning "wealth" or "riches." Thus, the name Umeka can be interpreted as "children are wealth" or "wealth in children."
In Igbo culture, children are highly valued and regarded as a source of prosperity and blessing. The name Umeka reflects this cultural significance and the belief that having children is a form of wealth. It is a name that has been used for centuries among the Igbo people, often given to children as a way of expressing gratitude and appreciation for their arrival into the family.
The earliest recorded use of the name Umeka can be traced back to the 16th century, during the height of the Nri Kingdom in what is now southeastern Nigeria. This ancient Igbo kingdom was known for its highly developed cultural and religious traditions, and the name Umeka was likely used during this period as a reflection of the Igbo's reverence for children.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Umeka was Umeka Nri, a renowned warrior and leader of the Nri Kingdom in the late 16th century. He was celebrated for his bravery in battle and his unwavering commitment to protecting his people and their way of life.
In the 18th century, another notable figure named Umeka emerged. Umeka Okafor was a respected trader and diplomat who played a crucial role in facilitating economic and cultural exchanges between the Igbo people and neighboring communities. His skill in negotiation and his understanding of different customs and traditions earned him a reputation as a skilled mediator.
During the 19th century, the name Umeka continued to be popular among the Igbo people. One prominent individual was Umeka Nwosu, a renowned artist and sculptor who created intricate wooden carvings and masks that depicted various aspects of Igbo culture and mythology.
In the early 20th century, Umeka Anyika was a influential educator and advocate for women's rights. She established several schools in her community and worked tirelessly to promote education and empowerment for young girls, challenging traditional gender roles and stereotypes.
Another notable figure was Umeka Okeke, a pioneering writer and playwright who helped to preserve and celebrate Igbo folklore and oral traditions through his literary works. His plays and short stories explored themes of identity, tradition, and the challenges faced by the Igbo people during the colonial era.
While the name Umeka has its roots in the Igbo culture, it has transcended its origins and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and ethnicities around the world, who appreciate its deep cultural significance and the positive values it represents.
People
Umeka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Umeka as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Umeka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Umeka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 99 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Umeka 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 3,462,165 US residents.
Is Umeka a common name?
We classify Umeka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 64.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 109 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Umeka most popular?
The single biggest year for Umeka was 1973, when 24 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Umeka is about 49 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Umeka in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 131 people with the name Umeka, or 0.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #48,547 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 Umeka 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 Umeka?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Umeka leans strongly female. 133 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 2 male bearers (1.5%). 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 Umeka?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Umeka is Black at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (3.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.5%). 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 Umeka most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Umeka in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (122 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 Umeka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Umeka a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Umeka 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 Umeka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Umeka 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 Umeka 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 Umeka?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Umeka, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.