UK name, mostly girls
Mika
Mika is a Japanese unisex name meaning "beautiful, fragrant".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Also recorded as a boys' name in the UK, with 299 boys.
Mika is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Mika popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1894, with 15 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2008, with 80 births.
This profile covers 601 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 19% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 609 living people in the UK are called Mika. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Mika ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 15 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2008, when 80 girls were registered as Mika.
- • Mika ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #653 in 2015.
- • Mika is also recorded for boys, but the girls side is the larger UK variant in these records.
- • About 609 living people in the UK are estimated to have Mika as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 66.8% of Mika registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1894
2024
Births in 2024
15
Latest year
Peak year
2008
80 births
Estimated living
609
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Mika
In England and Wales birth records, Mika has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 33.2% of registrations are for boys and 66.8% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Mika registered for boys
- Ranked #1,951 in 2024
- 12 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (23 births)
Mika registered for girls
- Ranked #1,894 in 2024
- 15 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (80 births)
Meaning
What does Mika mean?
The name Mika has its roots in several different cultures and languages, with a variety of meanings and origins. One of the earliest known sources of the name is from the Hebrew language, where it is a shortened form of the name Michael, meaning "who is like God."
In Japanese culture, the name Mika can be written using different kanji characters, with meanings such as "beautiful fragrance," "tree flower," or "new summer." It has been a popular name for girls in Japan for centuries.
The name Mika is also found in Finnish and Estonian cultures, where it is a diminutive form of the name Mikael or Mikhail, ultimately derived from the Hebrew Michael. In these Nordic languages, Mika can be a name for both boys and girls.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Mika can be found in the Bible's Book of Chronicles, where it is mentioned as the name of a Levite. In ancient Greece, there was a legendary figure named Mika, who was believed to be a priestess of the goddess Artemis.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals named Mika. Mika Waltari (1908-1979) was a Finnish writer and novelist, best known for his historical novel "The Egyptian." Mika Häkkinen (born 1968) is a Finnish former racing driver who won two Formula One World Championships.
In the world of music, Mika is the stage name of the Lebanese-British singer-songwriter Michael Holbrook Penniman Jr. (born 1983), known for hits like "Grace Kelly" and "Relax, Take It Easy." Mika Brzezinski (born 1967) is an American television host and author, co-hosting the MSNBC morning show "Morning Joe."
Another notable figure is Mika Yamamoto (born 1967), a Japanese voice actress and singer who has provided voices for numerous anime and video game characters. Mika Kallio (born 1982) is a Finnish former professional motorcycle racer who competed in MotoGP.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Mika over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Mika in England and Wales, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Mika, the clearest high point is 2008. The latest England and Wales figure is 15 births in 2024, compared with 80 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Mika by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Mika was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1574 | 96 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1375 | 242 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1567 | 247 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2129 | 16 | 2 |
Geography
Where Mika is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Mika. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Mika ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #653 in 2015.
Across the UK
Mika in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#653 in 2015
3 years of NRS records, 11 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Mika
-
Mika Biereth
association football player
English-born Danish footballer (born 2003)
2003-
-
Mika Chunuonsee
association football player
Thai footballer (born 1989)
1989-
-
Mika Vesterinen
researcher
physicist AND
1984-
-
Mika Immonen
pool player
Finnish pool player
1972-2025
Related
Names similar to Mika
- Megan 70,884
- Mia 67,204
- Molly 47,734
- Millie 44,390
- Maisie 32,671
- Matilda 29,965
- Maya 26,445
- Madison 18,441
- Maria 17,304
- Mollie 15,914
- Martha 15,116
- Maddison 14,918
FAQ
Mika: questions and answers
How popular is the name Mika in the UK right now?
In 2024, Mika was ranked #1894 for girls in England and Wales, with 15 births registered.
When was Mika most popular?
The peak year on record was 2008, with 80 babies registered as Mika in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Mika?
Mika is a Japanese unisex name meaning "beautiful, fragrant".
How many people are called Mika in the UK?
A total of 601 babies have been registered as Mika across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 11 more in Scotland.
Where is Mika most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Mika ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #653 in 2015. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.