Milca
Hebrew feminine name meaning "queen" or "tender", possibly derived from the Hebrew word "malka".
Name Census estimates that about 553 living Americans carry the first name Milca. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Milca today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Milca births was 2003 (37 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Milca. 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.
People living today
553
~ 1 in 619,809 Americans
Peak year
2003
37 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,890
Tracked since 1958
Census
Milca in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,076 people with the first name Milca, which placed it at #11,768 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
#11,768
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,076 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
84.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Milca
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Milca is Hispanic at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and White (2.5%). 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 Milca 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 Milca at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.4% · 908
- Black or African American10.7% · 115
- White2.5% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
- Two or more races0.4% · 4
Popularity
Milca: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Milca from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 256 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
Milca 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 Milca during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Milcas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Milca, while Florida, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 47 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Milca
The name Milca is rooted in the ancient Hebrew language and culture, with its origins dating back to biblical times. It is believed to be derived from the Hebrew word "melekh," which means "king," indicating a regal or noble connotation.
In the Old Testament, Milca is mentioned as the name of one of the daughters of Haran, the brother of Abraham. Although her role in the biblical narrative is relatively minor, her name has endured throughout the centuries, carrying a sense of ancient heritage and tradition.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Milca can be found in the Book of Genesis, where she is mentioned as the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother. This reference dates back to around the 18th century BCE, solidifying the name's antiquity and connection to Abrahamic faiths.
While the name Milca may not have been widely popular throughout history, it has been borne by a few notable figures. In the 12th century, Milca de Verdun was a prominent noblewoman from the Duchy of Burgundy, known for her involvement in the affairs of the Cistercian Order.
Another notable bearer of the name was Milca Eldridge (1887-1957), an American educator and civil rights activist who dedicated her life to promoting educational opportunities for African Americans in the early 20th century.
In the realm of literature, Milca Economopoulos (1888-1976) was a Greek novelist and poet who gained recognition for her works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition.
Additionally, Milca Villegas (1909-1981) was a Colombian politician and feminist activist who played a significant role in advocating for women's rights and gender equality in her country.
The name Milca has also been carried by individuals in various other fields, such as Milca Vásquez, a Venezuelan artist known for her vibrant and expressive paintings, and Milca Peña, a Chilean journalist and television presenter.
While the name Milca may not have achieved widespread popularity globally, its rich historical roots and connections to ancient Hebrew culture have ensured its enduring presence throughout the centuries, serving as a testament to the enduring influence of biblical names and their ability to transcend time and cultural boundaries.
People
Milca + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Milca as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with M
Other first names starting with M with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Milca: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Milca?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 553 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Milca 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 619,809 US residents.
Is Milca a common name?
We classify Milca as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 569 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Milca most popular?
The single biggest year for Milca was 2003, when 37 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Milca 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 Milca in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,076 people with the name Milca, or 0.36 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,768 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 Milca 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 Milca?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Milca appears almost entirely female. Of the 1,071 people counted with this name, 99.8% 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 Milca?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Milca is Hispanic at 84.4%. The next largest groups are Black (10.7%) and White (2.5%). 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 Milca most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Milca in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.4% (908 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 Milca in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Milca a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Milca 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 Milca still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Milca 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 Milca 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 share the name Milca?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.