Inca

ING-kuh; EENG-kuh; IN-kuh; een-ja
German, Finnish, Serbian, Spanish, Azerbaijani
"ancestor; emperor; slender, thin, soft"

Inca Origin and Meaning

The name Inca is a girl's name meaning "ancestor; emperor; slender, thin, soft".

More familiar as the name of an ancient empire from South America, when used as a given name, Inca can have a variety of different origins. While it is more likely to be spelled as Inka (or İncə) as a first name, Inca has seen usage around the world.

From its German and Finnish roots, it could be used as a form of Inka, itself a variation of Inge meaning "ancestor". As a Serbian and Croatian name, again, normally spelled Inka, it is used as a diminutive of names containing the element in, including Ivana ("god is gracious"), Inoslava ("glory is now"), or Anina ("grace").

From its Spanish origins, it may mean "emperor", borrowed from the name of the Inca Empire. It also appears as the name of a town in Mallorca, known for its leather craftmanship. Another possible explanation for its use in Spanish is as a variation of Inico, Ignacia, or Inigo, used as forms of Ignatius or Eneko.

Inca could also be an Anglicized form of the rare Azerbaijani name, İncə derived from the Azerbaijani word for "thin, slender", or of the Turkish and Azerbaijani İnci, meaning "pearl." Alternatively, it could come from the Romanian word încă meaning "still."

The name also appears to be used in India and Indonesia, possibly as a form of Inika meaning "army, splendour", or of Enika, meaning "antelope."

Much of this is conjecture however, and other interpretations, usage, and meanings may be possible. Regardless, it is a succinct yet distinctive name with history behind it.