Nikila
A feminine name of Sanskrit origin meaning "blue lotus flower".
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Nikila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Nikila today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Nikila births was 1979 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Nikila. 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 Nikila. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1979
7 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1994 SSA rank
#15,055
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Nikila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Nikila from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 12 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Nikila remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Nikila 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 Nikila 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 Nikila
Nikila is a given name that finds its origins in Sanskrit, one of the oldest languages of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "nikila," which means "whole" or "entire." The name is believed to have been in use since ancient times, possibly as early as the 5th century BCE.
In Hindu mythology, Nikila is sometimes associated with the concept of wholeness or completeness, reflecting the name's meaning. It is also mentioned in some ancient Sanskrit texts and scriptures, though specific references are scarce.
The earliest recorded use of the name Nikila can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when it appears in a few inscriptions and historical records from the Indian subcontinent. During this period, the name was primarily used by Hindus, particularly in regions like modern-day India and Nepal.
Over the centuries, Nikila has been the name of several notable individuals, including:
1. Nikila Bhuvanaikamalla, a 12th-century Hindu ruler of the Chaulukya dynasty in present-day Gujarat, India.
2. Nikila Salunkhi, a 13th-century Hindu scholar and poet from the Deccan region of India.
3. Nikila Kirti, a 14th-century Indian philosopher and author who wrote extensively on Jain philosophy.
4. Nikila Siddhartha, a 16th-century Hindu monk and spiritual leader from Nepal.
5. Nikila Devi, an 18th-century Indian queen and regent of the Maratha Empire, known for her military prowess and leadership.
While the name Nikila has ancient roots and historical significance, its usage has been relatively limited compared to some other Indian names. It has primarily remained within the Hindu cultural sphere, though it may have found some use in other parts of the Indian subcontinent as well.
People
Nikila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Nikila 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
Nikila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Nikila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Nikila 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Nikila a common name?
We classify Nikila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Nikila most popular?
The single biggest year for Nikila was 1979, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Nikila is about 42 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 Nikila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Nikila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Nikila 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 Nikila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Nikila 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 Nikila 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 have the name Nikila?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.