Holding steady, #11,932 for girls today.
Popularity of Akela since 1975
Babies named Akela per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 32 | 0 |
| 1980s | 102 | 0 |
| 1990s | 197 | 0 |
| 2000s | 159 | 0 |
| 2010s | 91 | 11 |
| 2020s | 39 | 27 |
Meaning & origin
Akela is a name with mysterious origins, possibly Arabic or Sanskrit, and is best known from Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' as the name of the wolf pack leader. It first appeared on U.S. baby name records in 1975 and saw its peak popularity in 1996. In 2025, the name ranks 11,932 with a frequency of 1 in 229,610 newborns. Its trajectory has remained stable over the decades, with a modest resurgence in the 1990s. Despite its literary connection, Akela has not been widely adopted, making it a distinctive choice. The name has not been recorded in any top states, suggesting its use is scattered geographically.
Akela has multiple proposed origins. It may be a variant of the Arabic name Akilah, which means 'intelligent' or 'logical'. Alternatively, it could derive from the Sanskrit word eka, meaning 'single' or 'alone', and appears in Rudyard Kipling's 'The Jungle Book' as the name of the wolf pack leader. The name has been in occasional use in the United States since 1975, with a peak in the 1990s.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Ake, Kela
Sibling names for Akela
Names that share Akela's style, for a brother or sister.
