How popular is the baby name Nakia in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Nakia.

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Popularity of the baby name Nakia


Posts that mention the name Nakia

Top boy-name debuts of all time in the U.S. baby name data (31-40)

lotus bud

Here’s the second installment of top boy name debuts.

From 40 to 31:

Dvante, Raekwon & Savion, 3-way tie for #40

  • Dvante debuted with 39 baby boys in 1992.
    Inspired by singer DeVante Swing, a member of Jodeci.
  • Raekwon debuted with 39 baby boys in 1994.
    Inspired by rapper Raekwon, a member of the Wu-Tang Clan.
  • Savion debuted with 39 baby boys in 1989.
    Inspired by dancer Savion Glover.

Devanta, #39

  • Devanta debuted with 41 baby boys in 1992.
    Inspired by DeVante Swing as well.

Jamaine, #38

  • Jamaine debuted with 42 baby boys in 1971.
    Inspired by singer Jermaine Jackson, a member of The Jackson 5.

Cross & Toma, 2-way tie for #37

  • Cross debuted with 43 baby boys in 1997.
    I’m not sure what inspired it. Inspired by Alex Cross, a character in the movie Kiss the Girls.
  • Toma debuted with 43 baby boys in 1973.
    Inspired by David Toma, a character on the TV show Toma.

Kristoph & Yohance, 2-way tie for #36

Quayshawn, #35

Gotham & Jencarlos, 2-way tie for #34

  • Gotham debuted with 46 baby boys in 2015.
    Inspired by the TV show Gotham.
  • Jencarlos debuted with 46 baby boys in 2009.
    Inspired by singer Jencarlos Canela.

Jemal, #33

  • Jemal debuted with 47 baby boys in 1968.
    Inspired by Jemal David, a character on the TV western The Outcasts.

Eder, Jayceon & Nikia, 3-way tie for #32

  • Eder debuted with 48 baby boys in 1982.
    Inspired by soccer player Éder Aleixo de Assis.
  • Jayceon debuted with 48 baby boys in 2005.
    Inspired by rapper The Game (born Jayceon Taylor).
  • Nikia debuted with 48 baby boys in 1974.
    Inspired by Nakia Parker, a character on the TV movie/show Nakia.

Trayvond, #31

  • Trayvond debuted with 49 baby boys in 1994.
    I’m not sure what inspired it. (Looks like it’s a variant of Trayvon, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten.)

Do you have any thoughts on Trayvond/Trayvon or Cross?

More of the top 50 baby name debuts for boys: 50-41, 40-31, 30-21, 20-11, 10-1

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri

[Latest update: 7/2021]

Where did the baby name Nakia come from in the 1970s?

Title of the TV series "Nakia" (1974)
“Nakia“

The once-rare baby name Nakia burst onto the scene in 1974, when it was suddenly given to hundreds of babies of both genders:

Girls named NakiaBoys named Nakia
1976490 [rank: 414th]110 [rank: 792nd]
1975972 [rank: 251st]514 [rank: 337th]
19741,134† [rank: 226th]613*† [rank: 302nd]
19737*.
1972..
*Debut, †Peak usage

Nakia was the top baby name debut for boys in 1974, and would have been the top debut for girls as well, if not for those 7 baby girls in 1973.

Where did it come from?

The character Nakia Parker from the TV series "Nakia" (1974).
Nakia Parker

Nakia (pronounced na-KEE-a) Parker, the fictional Navajo deputy sheriff played by actor Robert Forster in both Nakia the TV movie (April, 1974) and Nakia the short-lived TV crime drama (September to December, 1974).

Though the character was Navajo, I’m doubtful that Nakia is a genuine Navajo name. It’s certainly a Navajo word — it means “Mexican” — but I haven’t found any evidence that it has ever used as a Navajo name.

Nowadays, the baby name Nakia is still in use, but it’s not as popular as it once was. Last year, 41 baby girls and 8 baby boys were named Nakia.

P.S. Singer Nakia Reynoso, who appeared on NBC’s The Voice in 2011, was born in 1975.

Sources: Navajo Code Talkers’ Dictionary, SSA

Top image: Screenshot of Nakia

Where did the baby name Phajja come from in 1998?

Phajja album "Seize the Moment" (1997)
Phajja album

The unusual name Phajja has appeared in the U.S. baby name data just once so far:

  • 2000: unlisted
  • 1999: unlisted
  • 1998: 7 baby girls named Phajja [debut]
  • 1997: unlisted
  • 1996: unlisted

Where did it come from?

The R&B group Phajja (pronounced fah-jah).

The female trio — Kena, Nakia, and Karen — released their debut album, Seize the Moment, in 1997. The album produced two singles, including their most successful song, “So Long (Well, Well, Well),” which peaked at #87 on Billboard‘s Hot 100 chart and #30 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.

The group’s name, according to the press, was based on an Arabic word meaning “new beginning.” My guess is that this Arabic word was fajr, which means “dawn.” (The “dawn prayer” recited by Muslims is the salat al-fajr.)

What are your thoughts on the baby name Phajja?

Sources:

Baby names that debuted most impressively in the U.S. data, 1881 to today

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Though most of the baby names in the SSA’s annual datasets are repeats, each dataset does contain a handful of brand-new names.

Below are the most popular debut names for every single year on record, after the first.

Why bother with an analysis like this? Because debut names often have cool stories behind them, and high-hitting debuts are especially likely to have intriguing explanations tied to historical people/events. So this is more than a list of names — it’s also a list of stories.

Here’s the format: “Girl name(s), number of baby girls; Boy name(s), number of baby boys.” Keep in mind that the raw numbers aren’t too trustworthy for about the first six decades, though. (More on that in a minute.)

  • 1881: Adell & Celeste, 14; Brown & Newell, 14
  • 1882: Verda, 14; Cleve, 13
  • 1883: Laurel, 12; Brady, Festus, Jewell, Odell & Rosco, 8
  • 1884: Crystal & Rubie, 11; Benjamen, Jens, Oakley & Whitney, 9
  • 1885: Clotilde, 13; Arley & Terence, 9
  • 1886: Manuelita, 10; Terrence, 10
  • 1887: Verlie, 13; Myles, 11
  • 1888: Ebba, 18; Carlisle, Hughie & Orvel, 9
  • 1889: Garnett, 12; Doyle, 9
  • 1890: Verena, 11; Eduardo & Maggie, 10
  • 1891: Gayle, Idabelle & Zenia, 9; Sheridan, 14
  • 1892: Astrid, Dallas & Jennett, 9; Corbett, 23
  • 1893: Elmyra, 12; Estel, Mayo, Shelley & Thorwald, 8
  • 1894: Beatriz, Carola & Marrie, 9; Arvel, Erby & Floy, 8
  • 1895: Trilby, 12; Roosevelt, 12
  • 1896: Lotus, 11; Hazen, 11
  • 1897: Dewey, 13; Bryon, Frankie, Mario & Rhoda, 7
  • 1898: Manilla, 35; Hobson, 38
  • 1899: Ardis & Irva, 19; Haven, 9
  • 1900: Luciel, 14; Rosevelt, 20
  • 1901: Venita, 11; Eino, 9
  • 1902: Mercie, 10; Clarnce, 9
  • 1903: Estela, 11; Lenon & Porfirio, 7
  • 1904: Magdaline, 9; Adrain, Arbie, Betty, Desmond, Domenic, Duard, Raul & Severo, 8
  • 1905: Oliver, 9; Eliot & Tyree, 9
  • 1906: Nedra, 11; Domenico & Ryan, 10
  • 1907: Theta, 20; Taft, 16
  • 1908: Pasqualina, 10; Robley, 12
  • 1909: Wilmoth, 9; Randal & Vidal, 9
  • 1920: Dardanella, 23; Steele, 11
  • 1921: Marilynne, 13; Norberto, 14
  • 1922: Evelean, 14; Daren, 35
  • 1923: Nalda, 15; Clinard & Dorland, 9
  • 1924: Charis, 14; Melquiades, 13
  • 1925: Irmalee, 37; Wayburn, 11
  • 1926: Narice, 13; Bibb, 14
  • 1927: Sunya, 14; Bidwell, 14
  • 1928: Joreen, 22; Alfread & Brevard, 9
  • 1929: Jeannene, 25; Donnald, Edsol, Rhys & Wolfgang, 8

(From the SSA: “Note that many people born before 1937 never applied for a Social Security card, so their names are not included in our data.”)

  • 1990: Isamar, 446; Dajour, 26
  • 1991: Emilce, 30; Quayshaun, 93
  • 1992: Akeiba, 49; Devanta, 41
  • 1993: Rosangelica, 91; Deyonta, 37
  • 1994: Ajee, 185; Shyheim, 168
  • 1995: Yamilex, 130; Alize, 30
  • 1996: Moesha, 426; Quindon, 67
  • 1997: Erykah, 279; Cross, 43
  • 1998: Naidelyn, 78; Zyshonne, 26
  • 1999: Verania, 62; Cauy, 32
  • 2000: Kelis, 108; Rithik, 22
  • 2001: Yaire, 184; Jahiem, 155
  • 2002: Kaydence, 70; Omarian, 31
  • 2003: Trenyce, 88; Pharrell, 67
  • 2004: Eshal, 38; Jkwon, 100
  • 2005: Yarisbel, 30; Jayceon, 48
  • 2006: Lizania, 35; Balian, 24
  • 2007: Leilene, 81; Yurem, 206
  • 2008: Aideliz, 91; Yosgart, 72
  • 2009: Greidys, 186; Jeremih, 87

I’ve already written about some of the names above, and I plan to write about all the others as well…eventually. In the meanwhile, if you want to beat me to it and leave a comment about why Maverick hit in 1957, or why Moesha hit in 1996, feel free!

Source: U.S. SSA

Image: Adapted from LotusBud0048a (public domain) by Frank “Fg2” Gualtieri