Renika
A name of uncertain origin, possibly modern invented with feminine qualities.
Name Census estimates that about 337 living Americans carry the first name Renika. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Renika today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Renika births was 1983 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Renika. 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
337
~ 1 in 1,017,075 Americans
Peak year
1983
25 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1998 SSA rank
#9,914
Tracked since 1972
Census
Renika in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 318 people with the first name Renika, which placed it at #28,322 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
#28,322
National first-name rank
People counted
318
318 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
86.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Renika
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Renika is Black at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%) and White (3.8%). 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 Renika 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 Renika at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American86.2% · 274
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 13
- White3.8% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 9
- Two or more races2.8% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Renika: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Renika from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 179 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Renika remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Renika 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 Renika during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Renikas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Georgia, Louisiana, California recorded the most babies named Renika, while California, Louisiana, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 7 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Renika
The name Renika is a unique and intriguing feminine name with roots that can be traced back to ancient Sanskrit. The word "Ren" in Sanskrit means "lotus flower," symbolizing purity, grace, and spiritual enlightenment. The suffix "ika" is a common feminine ending in many Indian languages, indicating a connection to the Sanskrit roots.
Renika's linguistic origins suggest a rich cultural heritage associated with the Indian subcontinent, particularly in regions where Sanskrit and its derived languages were prevalent. This name may have been used by various communities across the Indian subcontinent, although its precise origin and earliest documented use remain uncertain.
While there are no definitive historical references or ancient texts that directly mention the name Renika, its Sanskrit roots suggest a long-standing presence in the region's cultural tapestry. It is possible that the name carried symbolic significance, evoking the beauty and spiritual connotations of the lotus flower.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Renika can be found in the works of the 19th-century Indian poet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore. In his literary masterpieces, Tagore immortalized several characters bearing the name Renika, reflecting the name's cultural relevance during that era.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Renika. Among them was Renika Kadri (1902-1989), an influential Indian social activist and feminist who played a pivotal role in the women's rights movement in her country. Her contributions to advancing gender equality and women's empowerment left a lasting impact on Indian society.
Another prominent figure with the name Renika was Renika Devi (1925-2003), a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was widely acclaimed for her mastery of the Odissi dance form and her efforts in preserving and promoting this ancient art form on global stages.
In the realm of literature, Renika Sharma (1947-2021) was a celebrated Indian author and poet whose works explored themes of identity, feminism, and societal issues. Her powerful narratives and evocative poetry garnered critical acclaim and inspired generations of readers and writers alike.
Renika Ramakrishnan (1963-present) is a distinguished Indian-American structural biologist and Nobel laureate. Her groundbreaking work on ribosomes and their role in protein synthesis earned her the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009, solidifying her place among the most esteemed scientists of our time.
While these are just a few examples, the name Renika has graced the lives of numerous individuals throughout history, each leaving their unique mark on their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of human endeavor.
People
Renika + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Renika as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Renika: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Renika?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 337 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Renika 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 1,017,075 US residents.
Is Renika a common name?
We classify Renika as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 359 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Renika most popular?
The single biggest year for Renika was 1983, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Renika is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Renika in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 318 people with the name Renika, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,322 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 Renika 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 Renika?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Renika appears almost entirely female. Of the 317 people counted with this name, 100.0% 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 Renika?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Renika is Black at 86.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.1%) and White (3.8%). 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 Renika most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Renika in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.2% (274 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 Renika in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Renika a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Renika 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 Renika still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Renika 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 Renika 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 named Renika?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.