Ukiah
A Native American name meaning "deep valley" or "canyon" in several languages.
Name Census estimates that about 123 living Americans carry the first name Ukiah. It is a predominantly male name (95.2% of registrations). The average person named Ukiah today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Ukiah births was 2003 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Ukiah. 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
123
~ 1 in 2,786,621 Americans
Peak year
2003
14 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,791
Tracked since 2001
Census
Ukiah in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 187 people with the first name Ukiah, which placed it at #40,012 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
#40,012
National first-name rank
People counted
187
187 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
58.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Ukiah
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ukiah is White at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (11.2%). 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 Ukiah 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 Ukiah at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White58.3% · 109
- Hispanic or Latino11.2% · 21
- Two or more races11.2% · 21
- Black or African American10.7% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native8.0% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Ukiah
Ukiah leans heavily male at 95.2% of total registrations, but 6 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Ukiah as a male name
- Ranked #10,791 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2003 (14 births)
Ukiah as a female name
- Ranked #16,340 in 2005
- 6 female births in 2005
- Peak: 2005 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ukiah on both sides of the split. Of the 190 people counted with this name, 138 were male (72.6%) and 52 were female (27.4%).
Popularity
Ukiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Ukiah 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 57 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Ukiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Ukiah 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 Ukiah 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 Ukiah
The given name Ukiah has its origins in the Native American Pomo language, which was spoken by indigenous peoples in what is now northern California. The name is believed to derive from the Pomo word "yo-kaya," meaning "deep valley." This suggests that the name may have initially been used to refer to a specific geographic location before becoming a personal name.
The earliest recorded use of the name Ukiah dates back to the late 18th century, when it was used to refer to the Pomo village located in the Ukiah Valley. This valley was known for its fertile land and abundant natural resources, making it an important settlement for the Pomo people. As European settlers began to arrive in the region, the name Ukiah was adopted and eventually became a given name.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Ukiah was a Pomo man who lived in the late 18th century. While little is known about his life, his name serves as a reminder of the Pomo people's connection to the land and their language.
In the 19th century, the name Ukiah gained wider recognition and usage. One notable figure was Ukiah Wilbur, a Pomo leader born in 1835. Wilbur was known for his efforts to preserve Pomo culture and traditions in the face of increasing encroachment by European settlers.
Another significant individual with the name Ukiah was Ukiah Charlton, born in 1872. Charlton was a prominent artist and sculptor, renowned for his depictions of Native American life and culture. His works helped to raise awareness and appreciation for the rich traditions of indigenous peoples in the United States.
In the 20th century, the name Ukiah continued to be used, albeit less frequently. One notable bearer was Ukiah Smith, an author and historian born in 1920. Smith dedicated his life to researching and documenting the history and culture of the Pomo people, ensuring that their stories and traditions were preserved for future generations.
The name Ukiah has also been used by a few public figures, such as Ukiah Howard, a musician and songwriter born in 1956. Howard's music often drew inspiration from his Native American heritage, incorporating elements of traditional Pomo music and storytelling.
While the name Ukiah may not be as common today as it once was, it remains a powerful reminder of the rich cultural heritage of the Pomo people and their deep connection to the land. Its enduring presence serves as a testament to the resilience and perseverance of indigenous cultures in the face of historical adversity.
People
Ukiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Ukiah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Ukiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Ukiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 123 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Ukiah 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 2,786,621 US residents.
Is Ukiah a common name?
We classify Ukiah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 124 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Ukiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Ukiah was 2003, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Ukiah is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Ukiah in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 187 people with the name Ukiah, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #40,012 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 Ukiah 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 Ukiah?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Ukiah on both sides of the split. Of the 190 people counted with this name, 138 were male (72.6%) and 52 were female (27.4%). 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 Ukiah?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Ukiah is White at 58.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (11.2%) and Two or More Races (11.2%). 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 Ukiah most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Ukiah in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.3% (109 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 Ukiah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Ukiah a male name?
Yes, 95.2% of people registered as Ukiah 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 Ukiah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Ukiah 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 Ukiah 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 common is the name Ukiah?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.