ESC Name Rank Total Searching... No names found Try searching for: Emma, Liam, Olivia, Noah... 2003 First Year 2019 Last Year 2003 Peak Year #15782 Peak Rank 15 Total Count 3 Years Active 🌍 ## Meaning & Origin of Laika What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures. Laika was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft, launched into low orbit on 3 November 1957\. As the technology to re-enter the atmosphere had not yet been developed, Laika's survival was never expected. Source: [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika) (CC BY-SA 3.0). [Read more → ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika) [![Wikipedia thumbnail for Laika](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Laika_in_1957.jpg/330px-Laika_in_1957.jpg)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laika) 📖 ## The Story of Laika American parents first put Laika on the record books as a baby girl name in 2003, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2003, when 5 Laikas were born — ranking #15,782 that year. The 2010s were its strongest decade, accounting for roughly 67% of all recorded Laikas. Its most recent appearance in the national data came in 2019 (5 births); the name has since faded from the published rankings. In total, more than 15 Laikas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 2000s through the 2020s. ## Popularity Over Time ## Popularity by State ME WA MT ND MN WI MI NY VT NH MA OR ID SD IA IL IN OH PA NJ CT RI CA NV WY NE MO KY WV VA MD DE DC UT CO KS AR TN NC SC AK AZ NM OK LA MS AL GA HI TX FL Top 10 11-50 51-100 101-500 500+ No data 🎶 ## Names that sound like Laika Phonetically similar names — useful when Laika is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name. * [Lika](/lika) * Loca * [Luca](/luca) * [Luka](/luka) * Liga * [Lucca](/lucca) * [Lica](/lica) * Laka * Loka * [Leica](/leica) * Laca * Leka Source: [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated. ❓ ## Frequently Asked Questions about Laika What does the name Laika mean? Laika was a Soviet space dog who was one of the first animals in space and the first to orbit the Earth. A stray mongrel from the streets of Moscow, she flew aboard the Sputnik 2 spacecraft, launched into low orbit on 3 November 1957\. As the technology to re-enter the atmosphere had not yet been developed, Laika's survival was never expected. How popular is Laika in 2026? In 2026, Laika ranks #15,532 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year. When was Laika most popular? Laika reached its peak popularity in 2003, ranking #15,782 that year with 5 babies given the name. Is Laika a unisex name? In U.S. Social Security records, Laika is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name. What names go well with Laika? Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Laika include Aanijah, Aaryona, Abbrianna. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data. ## Similar Names [👧AanijahPeak #15782](/aanijah)[👧AaryonaPeak #15782](/aaryona)[👧AbbriannaPeak #15782](/abbrianna)[👧AbreonnaPeak #15782](/abreonna)[👧AddrianaPeak #15782](/addriana)[👧AdjiPeak #15782](/adji)[👧AdlihPeak #15782](/adlih)[👧AfifahPeak #15782](/afifah) ## About the name Laika Laika is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 2003 and has accumulated 15 births in the dataset. Laika's peak popularity came in 2003 when it ranked #15,782\. Use the chart and map above to compare Laika's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices. ### Continue exploring * [ Top names of 2003 → ](/year/2003) * [ Names of the 2000s → ](/decade/2000s) * [ Names starting with "L" → ](/letter/l) * [ Browse all girl names → ](/names/girls) * [ Top names of 2026 → ](/year/2026) Data sources * Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. [Social Security Administration ](https://www.ssa.gov/oact/babynames/). Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships. * Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — [Behind the Name ](https://www.behindthename.com/) (used under their public API terms). * Meaning prose and editorial summary — [Wikipedia ](https://en.wikipedia.org/) article extracts, licensed under [CC BY-SA 3.0 ](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/). * Predicted nationality distribution — [Nationalize.io ](https://nationalize.io/). * Phonetically similar names — [Datamuse ](https://www.datamuse.com/api/). Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.