Fun Facts About the Name Ukiah
- 134 babies named Ukiah: U.S. records list 134 babies given the name Ukiah from 1880 through 2025. Even 6 girls received the name Ukiah - about 1 girl for every 21 boys.
What Does the Name Ukiah Mean?
Ukiah is generally explained as a word from the Pomo languages, spoken by the Native peoples of what is now Mendocino County in northern California. The sense most often given is "deep valley." A second explanation, also repeated in local accounts, translates a related Pomo form as "south valley." Because the two glosses appear side by side in older descriptions and the exact Pomo source word is not settled, the literal meaning is best reported as "deep valley," with "south valley" as a competing explanation.
Ukiah does not come from Greek, Latin, Hebrew, or any Germanic language, and it is not a shortened form of a longer European name. It is the same word as the place name of the city and the valley in California. Its use as a personal name is recent and uncommon, and it rests on the place-name sense rather than on an older naming tradition.
Ukiah Name History & Origins
The name belongs to Ukiah, the county seat of Mendocino County, California, and to the valley around it on the Russian River. The area was home to Pomo communities, and English-speaking settlers adopted the name for the valley and the town in the middle of the nineteenth century, when the town grew up as a local administrative center.
A Pomo community known as Yokayo, also spelled Yokaya, lived in the same part of the valley, and some writers have linked that name to Ukiah. The relationship between the two forms is not firmly documented, so the connection is best treated as a suggestion rather than an established derivation.
Because the word spread through English mainly as a California place name, its later use as a given name follows the place name. It has no biblical, saint's, or classical associations, and no long recorded history in European languages.
How Popular is the Name Ukiah?
Ukiah 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 2003. Its best rank was #5,538 in 2003.
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 | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | #16,340 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #8,205 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2024 | #10,791 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #12,206 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #7,459 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #10,723 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #10,673 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #11,988 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2013 | #7,512 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #7,059 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #12,385 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #10,592 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #9,045 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #13,103 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2003 | #5,538 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #12,385 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #10,477 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Ukiah Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You have talent, charm and luck. You can succeed in art and in any educational occupation. You attract peculiar experiences. Your power and protection lies in spiritual side of life. You are an enthusiastic collector and you will be tenacious in holding onto the things you accumulate. You have a good memory and should make an effort to have a positive attitude. Emergencies may raise your intuitive abilities in order to resolve conflict or situation. You become very creative under the pressure, and have quite original ideas to make the best out of it.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Ukiah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Ukiah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.