Nekhi
An Ancient Egyptian feminine name meaning "possessing strength".
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Nekhi. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Nekhi today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nekhi births was 2004 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nekhi. 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
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
2004
17 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,568
Tracked since 2001
Popularity
Nekhi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nekhi from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 78 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Nekhi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nekhi 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 Nekhi 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 Nekhi
The name Nekhi has its origins in ancient Egypt, dating back to around 3100 BCE. It is derived from the Egyptian words "nekh" and "khi," which together mean "the strong one" or "the powerful one." This name was commonly given to male children in the belief that it would bestow upon them strength and courage.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Nekhi can be found in the Pyramid Texts, a collection of ancient Egyptian funerary inscriptions from the Old Kingdom period (c. 2686–2181 BCE). These texts were inscribed on the walls of pyramids belonging to kings and nobles, and they often included invocations and spells intended to aid the deceased in their journey to the afterlife.
In the Middle Kingdom (c. 2055–1650 BCE), the name Nekhi gained further prominence. An influential nobleman and official named Nekhi served under the reign of Amenemhat III, and his name is recorded on several inscriptions and artifacts from that era.
During the New Kingdom (c. 1550–1070 BCE), the name Nekhi was associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Nekhi, a high-ranking military officer who served under Ramesses II (c. 1279–1213 BCE). His accomplishments and loyalty to the pharaoh are documented in various hieroglyphic inscriptions and reliefs.
Another prominent figure named Nekhi lived during the Late Period (c. 664–332 BCE). He was a renowned architect and engineer who oversaw the construction of several temples and monuments, including the Temple of Edfu, one of the best-preserved ancient Egyptian temples.
In more recent times, the name Nekhi has been carried by individuals such as Nekhi Bassiouni (1937–2017), an Egyptian-American scholar and expert in international criminal law, and Nekhi Broughton (born 1984), an American basketball player who played professionally in several leagues around the world.
While the name Nekhi has its roots in ancient Egyptian culture, it has transcended its origins and has been embraced by people of various backgrounds and ethnicities throughout history, each adding their own unique stories and legacies to the name's rich tapestry.
People
Nekhi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nekhi as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Nekhi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nekhi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nekhi 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 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Nekhi a common name?
We classify Nekhi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 161 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nekhi most popular?
The single biggest year for Nekhi was 2004, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nekhi is about 15 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 Nekhi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nekhi a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nekhi 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 Nekhi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nekhi 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 Nekhi 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 people share the name Nekhi?
Want to know how many people have the name Nekhi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.