Given name & surname
Chaka
“a great king”
Chaka is used as a given name and a surname. One African interpretation is “a great king.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One African interpretation is “a great king.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is African.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1968. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Chaka through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,103
- 262 boys · 841 girls
- Most popular year
- 1976
- 167 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 24% boys.
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 6 in 2001. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 27 in 1972. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 972 as a first name in 2020; 209 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Chaka’s family of names
Chaka has a related form in Chaba. Chaka has a related form in Chakah. In Greek usage, Chaka as a surname is a transliteration of Χάκα.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Chaka
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Chaka, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Thema
“a queen”
>99% girls
Zena
“one having great fame”
>99% girls
Shasmecka
“a princess; highborn girl”
>99% girls
Kiska
“one who is pure; virginal”
>99% girls
Quinta
“the fifth girl” · “queen's lawn”
17% boys · 83% girls
Zhenga
“an African queen”
>99% girls
Charlott
“free man”
>99% girls
Gimbya
“daughter born to royalty; a princess”
>99% girls