Fun Facts About the Name Aki
- 630 babies named Aki: U.S. records list 630 babies given the name Aki from 1880 through 2025. Even 248 girls received the name Aki - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Aki Mean?
Aki is a Finnish male given name usually explained as a short form of Aukusti, the Finnish form of the Latin name Augustus. That Latin word means "venerable" or "majestic" and is related to augere, "to increase." In Japanese, Aki is a given name for either sex, written with a single kanji, so its meaning is the meaning of the character chosen to write it rather than a fixed translation of the sound; common choices include 秋, "autumn," and 明, "bright" or "clear." Old Norse Áki, the source of the Scandinavian name Åke, is a third name with the same shape but a separate history, and its origin is not settled.
Aki Name History & Origins
In Finland, Aki fits the common Finnish habit of forming short male names by clipping a longer one. The longer name behind it is normally given as Aukusti (Augustus), which came into Finnish use through Latin and Swedish church tradition; Finnish also has shorter forms such as Aku. Some Finnish accounts instead connect Aki with the Scandinavian name Åke (Old Norse Áki), or treat the two explanations as overlapping, so the exact route into Finnish use is not fully settled.
In Japan, Aki is written with one kanji, and different families choose different characters, so the name is not one fixed word. The same sound aki also appears inside longer names such as Akiko, Akira, Yoshiaki, and Toshiaki, where it is written with characters such as 明 (bright) or 秋 (autumn). Aki also occurs as a Japanese surname and in the old province name Aki (安芸, in what is now Hiroshima Prefecture); these are written differently and are not related in meaning to the given name.
Old Norse Áki is recorded in medieval Scandinavian sources and survives in the modern Scandinavian given name Åke. Because the name is short and appears in few early forms, its derivation is debated: it has been described as a shortened form of a longer compound name, and a connection with an Old Norse word for a forefather has also been suggested. The Finnish, Japanese, and Norse names resemble one another only in sound; they are not known to share an origin.
How Popular is the Name Aki?
Aki has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #3,841 in 1974.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #13,657 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2020 | #15,187 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #13,875 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #13,864 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2017 | #14,209 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2016 | #12,932 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #14,562 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #16,611 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #12,017 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2010 | #13,501 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #17,389 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2008 | #15,470 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #12,711 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #13,647 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #14,560 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #10,453 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #11,149 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1999 | #14,467 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #12,111 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,830 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #11,816 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #9,576 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #11,769 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #9,352 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #13,000 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #8,774 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1986 | #10,937 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #7,573 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #7,404 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1982 | #6,894 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #7,415 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #8,185 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #10,230 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1978 | #9,768 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1975 | #9,080 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1974 | #6,263 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1972 | #5,965 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,404 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2024 | #5,885 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #7,301 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #6,156 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2021 | #5,570 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2020 | #8,760 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2019 | #7,189 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #6,043 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2017 | #8,166 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #5,797 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #7,507 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2014 | #9,669 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #6,252 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2012 | #8,176 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #8,788 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2010 | #8,824 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2009 | #7,705 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #9,033 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2007 | #9,811 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #6,916 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 2005 | #11,513 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #7,550 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2003 | #6,726 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2002 | #10,713 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #6,022 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #10,402 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1998 | #8,495 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1995 | #8,902 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1993 | #6,832 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #7,447 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1989 | #6,955 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #5,347 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #5,799 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #4,926 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #5,637 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #5,488 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #4,413 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1978 | #5,074 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #5,137 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1976 | #4,948 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1975 | #3,950 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1974 | #3,841 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1973 | #5,110 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #3,966 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Aki Shapes Your Personality and Life?
Powerful and complete. You are good intellectually and require several outlets for your energies. You are not a builder but a planner, and you want others to carry out your plans. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Aki's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Aki's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.