Akin
A Turkish given name meaning "wise, mature, or intelligent".
Name Census estimates that about 343 living Americans carry the first name Akin. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Akin today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Akin births was 1998 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Akin. 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 Akin with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
343
~ 1 in 999,284 Americans
Peak year
1998
14 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,308
Tracked since 1971
Census
Akin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 608 people with the first name Akin, which placed it at #17,906 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
#17,906
National first-name rank
People counted
608
608 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
57.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Akin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Akin is Black at 57.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.0%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Akin 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 Akin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American57.7% · 351
- White27.0% · 164
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.3% · 32
- Two or more races4.3% · 26
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 1
Popularity
Akin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Akin from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 87 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Akin remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Akin 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 Akin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Akins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Akin
The name Akin has its origins in the Turkish language and culture, dating back several centuries. It is derived from the Turkish word "akın," which means "raid" or "invasion." This suggests that the name might have been given to individuals who were known for their bravery and prowess in battle.
In the Ottoman Empire, which ruled over a vast territory spanning parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, the name Akin was often bestowed upon warriors and military leaders. It was a way to commemorate their valor and achievements on the battlefield.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Akin can be found in the 16th century, when an Ottoman general named Akin Pasha played a significant role in the conquest of Cyprus in 1570-1571. His military exploits and leadership during this campaign solidified the name's association with strength and courage.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Akin. One such individual was Akin Olubunmi Adesina, a Nigerian economist and agricultural development expert who served as the President of the African Development Bank from 2015 to 2020. Born in 1960, he was widely recognized for his efforts in promoting food security and sustainable agriculture across Africa.
Another prominent figure was Akin Euba, a Nigerian composer and musicologist born in 1935. He was renowned for his contributions to the development of contemporary African classical music, blending traditional African elements with Western classical techniques.
In the realm of literature, Akin Tamiroff (1899-1972) was a renowned Armenian-American actor who appeared in numerous Hollywood films during the 1930s and 1940s. He was particularly known for his role as the villain in the classic film "The General Died at Dawn" (1936).
Akin Özerdim (1939-2008) was a Turkish writer and journalist who gained recognition for his novels and short stories that explored social and political issues in Turkey. His works often reflected the complexities of modern Turkish society and the challenges faced by individuals navigating its changing landscape.
Lastly, Akin Essien (born 1980) is a contemporary Nigerian footballer who has played for various clubs in Europe, including Werder Bremen and Galatasaray. He represented the Nigerian national team and was part of the squad that won the African Cup of Nations in 2013.
These examples illustrate the diverse backgrounds and accomplishments of individuals who have carried the name Akin throughout history, reflecting the name's deep-rooted connections to courage, strength, and cultural heritage.
People
Akin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Akin 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
Akin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Akin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 343 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Akin 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 999,284 US residents.
Is Akin a common name?
We classify Akin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 352 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Akin most popular?
The single biggest year for Akin was 1998, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Akin is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Akin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 608 people with the name Akin, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,906 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 Akin 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 Akin?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Akin leans strongly male. 594 people counted with this name were male (98.5%), compared with 9 female 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 Akin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Akin is Black at 57.7%. The next largest groups are White (27.0%) and Hispanic (5.6%). 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 Akin most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Akin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 57.7% (351 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 Akin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Akin a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Akin 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 Akin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Akin 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 Akin 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 are called Akin?
You can see how many people have the name Akin on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.