Acacia
A feminine name derived from the Greek word "akis" meaning thorn or prickle.
Name Census estimates that about 4,130 living Americans carry the first name Acacia. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Acacia today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Acacia births was 2002 (143 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Acacia. 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 Acacia with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.1K
~ 1 in 82,991 Americans
Peak year
2002
143 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,711
Tracked since 1971
Census
Acacia in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,504 people with the first name Acacia, which placed it at #5,033 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
#5,033
National first-name rank
People counted
3.5K
3,504 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Acacia
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Acacia is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (15.6%). 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 Acacia 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 Acacia at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.4% · 1,695
- Black or African American20.7% · 727
- Hispanic or Latino15.6% · 547
- Two or more races11.2% · 392
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 84
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 59
Popularity
Acacia: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Acacia from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 1,193 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Acacia 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 Acacia during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Acacias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Texas, Washington recorded the most babies named Acacia, while Virginia, Massachusetts, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 67 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Acacia
The name Acacia is derived from the Greek word 'akakia', which means 'thorny tree'. It is believed to have originated from ancient Greek culture, with references dating back to the 5th century BC. The acacia tree, native to Australia and parts of Africa, was highly valued for its wood and medicinal properties.
In ancient Greek mythology, the acacia tree was associated with immortality and resurrection. It was believed to have sprouted from the blood of the gods, symbolizing eternal life. The name Acacia was often given to children as a way of bestowing upon them the blessings of longevity and resilience.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Acacia can be found in the works of the Greek philosopher Theophrastus, who lived from 371 BC to 287 BC. He extensively documented the various species of acacia trees and their characteristics in his botanical treatises.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Acacia. One such example is Acacia of Miletus, a renowned Greek poet who lived in the 6th century BC. Her works, though largely lost to time, were celebrated for their lyrical beauty and emotional depth.
In the realm of religion, AcaciaAnza was a prominent figure in the early Christian church. Born in 285 AD, she was a respected scholar and theologian who played a crucial role in shaping the doctrine of the Trinity.
During the Renaissance period, Acacia Mazzanti (1556-1630) was an Italian painter known for her exquisite portraits and religious works. Her artistic talents were highly regarded, and she was one of the few female artists of her time to achieve widespread recognition.
In the world of literature, Acacia O'Connor (1852-1928) was an Irish novelist and poet whose works explored themes of social justice and the struggles of the working class. Her novel "The Weaver's Daughter" became a celebrated classic in Irish literature.
These are but a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Acacia throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human culture and achievement.
People
Acacia + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Acacia as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with A
Other first names starting with A with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Acacia: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Acacia?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,130 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Acacia 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 82,991 US residents.
Is Acacia a common name?
We classify Acacia as "Rare". It ranks above 96.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,237 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Acacia most popular?
The single biggest year for Acacia was 2002, when 143 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Acacia is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Acacia in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,504 people with the name Acacia, or 1.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,033 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 Acacia 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 Acacia?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Acacia appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,502 people counted with this name, 99.5% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Acacia?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Acacia is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (15.6%). 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 Acacia most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Acacia in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (1,695 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 Acacia in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Acacia a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Acacia 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 Acacia still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Acacia 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 Acacia 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 common is the name Acacia?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.