Nika
Nika is a female or male given name having multiple origins in different languages and countries. In Slavic countries the name comes from the Ancient Greek goddess of victory "Nike". Nika is a female name in Persian, language meaning "very good" and "pure crystal water", it derives from "Nik" meaning "Good", "True" and "Chosen". Nika is also the name of a river in north of Iran.
- Russian
- Slovene
- Croatian
- Georgian
Meaning & Origin of Nika
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Nika is a female or male given name having multiple origins in different languages and countries. In Slavic countries the name comes from the Ancient Greek goddess of victory "Nike". Nika is a female name in Persian, language meaning "very good" and "pure crystal water", it derives from "Nik" meaning "Good", "True" and "Chosen". Nika is also the name of a river in north of Iran.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Russian
- Slovene
- Croatian
- Georgian
The Story of Nika
Nika first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1961, with 6 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2017: 77 births, good for #2,357 nationwide. About 26% of every Nika on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Nika ranks #3,110 for baby girls with 52 births, falling sharply (-18%). All told, over 3K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1960s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Nika
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Nika. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Nika
Phonetically similar names — useful when Nika is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nika
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How popular is Nika in 2026?
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About the name Nika
Nika is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1961 and has accumulated 3K births in the dataset. Nika's peak popularity came in 2017 when it ranked #2,357. Use the chart and map above to compare Nika's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2017 →
- Names of the 2010s →
- Names starting with "N" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . 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 (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
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.