Baby Names US
girls' name ★ peaked 1972

Nikki

Meaning 20th-century fanciful respelling of Nicky Gender Girl · 2% boys Rank 2025 #3,504 Trend ↓ Falling 32%

20th-century fanciful respelling of Nicky.

Rank 2025
#3,504
among girls · ↓63 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
44
named Nikki · -4% vs 2024
How common
1 in 36,529
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1972
1,736 babies
All-time total
41,005
#689 all-time among girls
First recorded
1925
in Social Security records

Nikki popularity over time

41,005 babies have been named Nikki since 1925, 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
0.380.751.131.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

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 35 – 35 4 – #3,607
1930s 90 – 90 9 +157% #1,192
1940s 1,617 17 1,634 163 +1716% #515
1950s 2,179 27 2,206 221 +35% #528
1960s 3,115 79 3,194 319 +45% #435
1970s 10,876 219 11,095 1,110 +247% #173
1980s 10,402 241 10,643 1,064 -4% #218
1990s 7,438 225 7,663 766 -28% #280
2000s 2,823 57 2,880 288 -62% #585
2010s 1,199 26 1,225 123 -57% #1,377
2020s (to 2025) 335 5 340 57 -54% #2,605

Where Nikki is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (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 girls Implied rank
2026 41 0.03 outside top 500
2027 39 0.02 outside top 500
2028 37 0.02 outside top 500
2029 36 0.02 outside top 500
2030 34 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Nikki

Nikki is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #3,504 in 2025 with 44 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1925, 41,005 American babies have been named Nikki. Its peak came in 1972, when 1,736 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1970s.

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 Nikki stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Nikki?

The median living Nikki is about 43 years old; half are between 33 and 52. An estimated 39 thousand people named Nikki are alive in the United States today.

median 43 020406080100

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

Nikki 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 44 #3,504 – –
2024 46 #3,441 – –
2023 54 #3,080 – –
2022 61 #2,811 – –
2021 67 #2,605 – –
2020 63 #2,677 5 #13,499
2019 74 #2,421 – –
2018 80 #2,292 – –
2017 108 #1,885 – –
2016 91 #2,142 – –
2015 134 #1,604 – –
2014 142 #1,544 – –
2013 118 #1,751 5 #13,497
2012 127 #1,679 14 #6,216
2011 156 #1,451 – –
2010 169 #1,377 7 #10,434
2009 180 #1,338 7 #10,655
2008 191 #1,308 6 #12,135
2007 247 #1,063 5 #13,831
2006 255 #1,011 – –
2005 253 #969 8 #8,872
2004 285 #863 – –
2003 304 #812 6 #10,499
2002 328 #742 6 #10,289
2001 337 #723 11 #6,315
2000 443 #585 8 #7,971
1995 692 #381 19 #3,523
1990 985 #282 40 #1,929
1985 1,195 #218 30 #1,954
1980 1,045 #247 12 #3,555
1975 1,103 #222 23 #2,044
1970 657 #369 12 #2,835
1965 232 #644 7 #3,462
1960 195 #725 5 #4,434
1955 196 #670 – –
1950 244 #530 – –
1945 137 #622 – –
1940 41 #1,144 – –
1935 9 #3,093 – –
1930 – – – –
1925 8 #3,934 – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Nikki

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

  1. 1 Nikki Bella Nikki Bella American professional wrestler (born 1983) Contemporary
  2. 2 Nikki Reed Nikki Reed American actress b. 1988 · Contemporary
  3. 3 Nikki Haley Nikki Haley American politician and diplomat (born 1972) Contemporary
  4. 4 Nikki Cox Nikki Cox American actress b. 1978 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Nikki Blonsky Nikki Blonsky American actress (born 1988) Contemporary
  6. 6 Nikki Cross Nikki Cross Scottish professional wrestler (born 1989) Contemporary
  7. 7 Nikki DeLoach Nikki DeLoach American actress (born 1979) Contemporary
  8. 8 Nikki Benz Nikki Benz Ukrainian-Canadian/American pornographic film actress b. 1981 · Contemporary
  9. 9 Nikki Ziering Nikki Ziering American model and actress (born 1971) Contemporary
  10. 10 Nikki Yanofsky Nikki Yanofsky Canadian singer (born 1994) Contemporary
  11. 11 Nikki Havenaar Nikki Havenaar Japanese footballer b. 1995 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Nikki?

The median living Nikki is about 43 years old. Half of all living Nikkis are between 33 and 52 years old.

How many people named Nikki are alive today?

An estimated 39 thousand people named Nikki are alive in the United States, based on 41,005 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Nikki mean?

20th-century fanciful respelling of Nicky.

How popular is the name Nikki in 2025?

Nikki ranked #3,504 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 44 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Nikki?

41,005 babies have been named Nikki in the United States since 1925, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Nikki most popular?

Nikki peaked in 1972, when 1,736 newborns received the name.

Is Nikki a boy or girl name?

Nikki is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Nikki rising or falling?

Nikki is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Nikki become more popular?

Nikki is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 34 girls named Nikki 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 Nikki?

Well-known people named Nikki include Nikki Bella (wrestler), Nikki Reed (actor), Nikki Haley (politician).

Names like Nikki

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

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