Boys' name · since 1972
Nkosi
Since 1972, U.S. Social Security records show 374 babies named Nkosi, peaking in 2001. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #9,399 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,918 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 374
- born since 1972
- 1990s
- peak decade
374 babies have been named Nkosi since 1972, making it today's #9918 boys' name.
Nkosi has 374 recorded births among boys since 1972, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #9918 as of the latest data, more common than 29% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1972 to 2025.
- #9,399 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #9,918 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 374 born since 1972
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Nkosi ranks #9,399 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #9,918 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 374 born since 1972, peaking in the 1990s.
- #9,399 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #9,918 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 374
- born since 1972
- 1990s
- peak decade
Nkosi's 374 recorded births place it above 79.32% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by New York.
How Nkosi compares
374 Top 50% higher than 50% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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
Nkosi's all-time total is 1% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Nkosi | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 374 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 39 | 34 | 22,252 |
Nkosi's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Nkosi splits its recorded history at 2001: 51% of all births land in the more recent half, 49% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2008 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2001 peak of 39 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Nkosi popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1972–2025
- Peak year (2001)
- 39
- Annual births at peak, across 54 years of records
Nkosi popularity over time - girls
7 total births recorded since 2001 (Nkosi as girls' name)
Nkosi by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (121 births, 32% of the file).
1990s was Nkosi's strongest decade.
121 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 32% of all-time use.
Nkosi births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 36
1970s
36 births
- 1980s 22
1980s
22 births
- 1990s
1990s
121 births
- 2000s
2000s
114 births
- 2010s
2010s
53 births
- 2020s 28
2020s
28 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 121 births (32% of all-time use).
Nkosi by state
Where Nkosi concentrates geographically, total births since 1972
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | New York | | 21 | 5.6% |
| #2 | North Carolina | | 7 | 1.9% |
21 of 374 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Nkosi? ▼
Where does Nkosi sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Nkosi most popular? ▼
Where is Nkosi most popular? ▼
How long has the name Nkosi been used? ▼
What to do with Nkosi's data
- Nkosi's decade-level peak was the 1990s (121 total births); usage has since declined to 28 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- New York records the most Nkosis (21 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Nkosi
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Nkosi
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Nkosi: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2001)
Similar record span (~53 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, 1972–2025 (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 Nkosi 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.