Caua
A Brazilian name inspired by the Caua River, meaning "born from the waters".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Caua. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Caua today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caua births was 2006 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caua. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Caua with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Caua. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2006
6 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,543
Tracked since 2006
Popularity
Caua: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caua from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caua by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Caua during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Caua
The given name Caua has its origins in the Tupi language, an indigenous language family of South America. It is believed to have originated from the eastern regions of Brazil, where the Tupi people were predominantly located. The name Caua is derived from the Tupi word "kaua," which means "honorable" or "distinguished."
During the colonial era in Brazil, the Tupi language and culture had a significant influence on the Portuguese settlers. As a result, many Tupi words and names were adopted into the Portuguese language, and Caua became a common given name among the Brazilian population.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Caua can be found in the writings of the Portuguese chronicler Pero Vaz de Caminha, who accompanied the Portuguese explorer Pedro Álvares Cabral on his voyage to Brazil in 1500. In his letters, Caminha described the encounter with the Tupi people and mentioned some of their names, including Caua.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Caua. One of the earliest recorded examples is Caua Tindiquera, a Tupi chief who lived in the 16th century and played a crucial role in the early interactions between the indigenous population and the Portuguese colonizers.
Another prominent figure was Caua Bento da Silva, a Brazilian writer and journalist who lived in the 19th century (1837-1893). He was known for his contributions to the abolitionist movement in Brazil and his efforts to promote the rights of the indigenous population.
In the 20th century, Caua Rodrigues (1905-1982) was a renowned Brazilian architect and urban planner. He was responsible for designing several iconic buildings in the city of Rio de Janeiro, including the Copacabana Palace Hotel and the Museum of Modern Art.
Caua Reymond (born 1973) is a Brazilian chef and television personality who has gained international recognition for his culinary expertise and promotion of Brazilian cuisine.
Caua Réche (born 1984) is a Brazilian professional basketball player who has represented the Brazilian national team and played for various clubs in Europe and South America.
It is worth noting that while the name Caua has its roots in the Tupi language, it has transcended its indigenous origins and has been embraced by various cultural and ethnic groups in Brazil and beyond, reflecting the rich diversity of the country's population.
People
Caua + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caua as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Caua: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caua?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caua going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Caua a common name?
We classify Caua as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caua most popular?
The single biggest year for Caua was 2006, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caua is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Caua in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Caua a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caua in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Caua still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Caua in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Caua can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Caua?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.