Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2021

Neko

Gender Unisex · 20% girls Rank 2025 #3,424 Trend ↑ Rising 12%
Rank 2025
#3,424
among boys · ↑620 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
34
named Neko · +6% vs 2024
How common
1 in 50,238
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2021
63 babies
All-time total
1,248
#5,137 all-time among boys
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Neko popularity over time

1,248 babies have been named Neko since 1968, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.010.020.030.0418801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 6 5 11 1 – #4,823
1970s 32 – 32 3 +191% –
1980s 6 39 45 5 +41% #2,824
1990s – 162 162 16 +260% #2,514
2000s 60 245 305 31 +88% #3,088
2010s 116 327 443 44 +45% #2,541
2020s (to 2025) 27 223 250 42 -6% #2,453

Where Neko is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 35 0.02 outside top 500
2027 35 0.02 outside top 500
2028 36 0.02 outside top 500
2029 36 0.02 outside top 500
2030 37 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Neko

Neko is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #3,424 in 2025 with 34 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 1,248 American babies have been named Neko, about 80% boys and 20% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2021, when 63 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Neko stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Neko?

The median living Neko is about 14 years old; half are between 7 and 22. An estimated 1,200 people named Neko are alive in the United States today.

median 14 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Neko year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 34 #3,424
2024 5 #16,991 27 #4,044
2023 8 #11,899 33 #3,532
2022 – – 38 #3,199
2021 8 #11,887 55 #2,453
2020 6 #14,631 36 #3,184
2019 11 #9,573 26 #4,076
2018 8 #12,181 26 #4,077
2017 8 #12,436 31 #3,562
2016 13 #8,735 31 #3,583
2015 11 #9,961 30 #3,657
2014 14 #8,375 33 #3,352
2013 11 #10,062 38 #2,984
2012 10 #11,033 49 #2,541
2011 12 #9,568 28 #3,759
2010 18 #7,137 35 #3,222
2009 19 #6,999 38 #3,088
2008 11 #10,598 28 #3,803
2007 10 #11,408 35 #3,226
2006 9 #12,142 21 #4,463
2005 5 #18,395 16 #5,206
2004 6 #15,532 21 #4,217
2003 – – 19 #4,381
2002 – – 28 #3,239
2001 – – 16 #4,832
2000 – – 23 #3,607
1995 – – 14 #4,440
1990 – – 18 #3,415
1985 – – – –
1980 6 #9,949 – –
1975 – – – –
1970 6 #7,690 – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Neko

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Neško Milovanović Neško Milovanović Serbian football manager and player b. 1974 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Neko, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Neko?

The median living Neko is about 14 years old. Half of all living Nekos are between 7 and 22 years old.

How many people named Neko are alive today?

An estimated 1,200 people named Neko are alive in the United States, based on 1,248 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Neko in 2025?

Neko ranked #3,424 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 34 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Neko?

1,248 babies have been named Neko in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Neko most popular?

Neko peaked in 2021, when 63 newborns received the name.

Is Neko a boy or girl name?

Neko is used for both: about 20% of babies named Neko have been girls and 80% boys.

Is the name Neko rising or falling?

Neko has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Neko become more popular?

Neko is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 37 boys named Neko in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Neko?

Well-known people named Neko include Neško Milovanović (soccer player).

Names like Neko

Names that sound and feel close to Neko: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Neko with similar names → More names starting with N →