Unisex name · since 1975
Akela
Akela has 620 recorded births since 1975 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1996 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #10,328 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,205 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 620
- born since 1975
- 1990s
- peak decade
Yes -- Akela is the #12205 most popular unisex name in the U.S. today, with 620 recorded since 1975.
Social Security Administration records show Akela recorded 620 times among girls since 1975, holding rank #12205 nationally today, ahead of 29% of girls, peaking in the 1990s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1975 to 2025.
- #10,328 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #12,205 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 620 born since 1975
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Akela ranks #10,328 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,205 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 620 born since 1975, peaking in the 1990s.
- #10,328 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #12,205 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 620
- born since 1975
- 1990s
- peak decade
Akela's 620 recorded births place it above 85.7% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Akela compares
620 Top 41% higher than 59% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Akela's all-time total is 65% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Akela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 620 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 27 | 21 | 19,840 |
Akela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Akela's full recorded timeline at 2000, 47% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 53% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1975, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1996 peak of 27 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Akela popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1975–2025
- Peak year (1996)
- 27
- Annual births at peak, across 51 years of records
Akela popularity over time - boys
38 total births recorded since 2016 (Akela as boys' name)
Akela by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (197 births, 32% of the file).
1990s was Akela's strongest decade.
197 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Akela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 32
1970s
32 births
- 1980s
1980s
102 births
- 1990s
1990s
197 births
- 2000s
2000s
159 births
- 2010s
2010s
91 births
- 2020s 39
2020s
39 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 197 births (32% of all-time use).
How Akela compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Akela's total volume
Akela by state
Where Akela concentrates geographically, total births since 1975
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 17 | 2.7% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 5 | 0.8% |
17 of 620 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Akela's data
- Akela's decade-level peak was the 1990s (197 total births); usage has since declined to 39 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Akelas (17 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Akela
Nearby Names Like Akela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Akela
Compare Akela side by side: Akela vs Akeelah Akela vs Akemi Akela vs Akeyla
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Akela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Akela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1996)
Similar record span (~50 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1975–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Akela draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.