Chimebuka
A masculine name of African origin meaning "A new dawn has risen".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Chimebuka. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Chimebuka today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Chimebuka births was 2019 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Chimebuka. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Chimebuka. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2019
5 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#12,507
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Chimebuka: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Chimebuka 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 Chimebuka during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Chimebuka
The given name Chimebuka has its origins in the Bantu languages spoken in parts of central and southern Africa. The name can be traced back to the Chewa people of Malawi, where it is thought to have originated sometime in the 15th or 16th century.
Chimebuka is derived from the Chewa words "chimene" meaning "that which" and "buka" meaning "to rise up" or "to wake up." Thus, the name can be interpreted as "that which rises up" or "that which awakens." This could be a reference to the rising sun, the awakening of a new day, or perhaps a symbolic reference to the awakening of one's consciousness or spiritual awareness.
While the name Chimebuka does not appear to be directly mentioned in any ancient texts or religious scriptures, its roots in the Bantu languages suggest it may have been used by various ethnic groups in the region for centuries before being recorded in written form.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Chimebuka can be found in the writings of David Livingstone, the famous Scottish missionary and explorer who traveled extensively in central Africa in the 19th century. In his journals, Livingstone mentions encountering a village chief named Chimebuka during his travels in present-day Malawi in the 1850s.
Other notable individuals with the name Chimebuka include:
1. Chimebuka Nkhoma (1858-1932), a Malawian evangelist and teacher who helped establish several mission schools in the country.
2. Chimebuka Banda (1890-1967), a Malawian chief and political leader who played a role in the country's struggle for independence from British colonial rule.
3. Chimebuka Mhango (1923-2005), a Malawian writer and poet who helped preserve and promote the Chewa language and culture through his works.
4. Chimebuka Phiri (born 1964), a Zambian musician and composer known for his fusion of traditional African rhythms with contemporary styles.
5. Chimebuka Mbano (born 1978), a Zimbabwean artist and sculptor whose works have been exhibited internationally.
While the name Chimebuka may not be as widely known or used today as it once was, its rich history and connection to the cultures and languages of central and southern Africa remain an important part of the region's cultural heritage.
People
Chimebuka + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Chimebuka 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
Chimebuka: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Chimebuka?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Chimebuka 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Chimebuka a common name?
We classify Chimebuka as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Chimebuka most popular?
The single biggest year for Chimebuka was 2019, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Chimebuka is about 7 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 Chimebuka in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Chimebuka a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Chimebuka 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 Chimebuka still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Chimebuka 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 Chimebuka 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 Chimebuka?
Want to know how many Americans are named Chimebuka? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.