Kaeto
A masculine name of Japanese origin with no definitive meaning assigned.
Name Census estimates that about 13 living Americans carry the first name Kaeto. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaeto today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaeto births was 2014 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaeto. 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 Kaeto. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
13
~ 1 in 26,365,718 Americans
Peak year
2014
7 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,556
Tracked since 2014
Popularity
Kaeto: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaeto from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 7 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
Kaeto 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 Kaeto 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 Kaeto
The name Kaeto has its origins in the indigenous Arawak language of the Caribbean islands. Dating back to the 15th century, Kaeto is believed to have been derived from the word "kaitu," which translates to "peaceful one" or "gentle spirit." The Arawak people were the original inhabitants of the Bahamas, Greater Antilles, and parts of South America before the arrival of European colonizers.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kaeto can be found in the writings of Spanish explorer and historian Gonzalo Fernández de Oviedo y Valdés, who documented the lives of the indigenous people he encountered during his travels in the early 16th century. Oviedo's accounts mention a chief named Kaeto, who ruled over a small village in present-day Puerto Rico.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kaeto. One of the most famous was Kaeto Kuleana, a Hawaiian chieftain who lived in the late 18th century and played a significant role in the unification of the Hawaiian Islands under King Kamehameha I. Kuleana was a trusted advisor and warrior who fought alongside the king in numerous battles.
In the realm of literature, Kaeto Takamatsu was a renowned Japanese poet and scholar who lived during the Edo period (1603-1868). His works, which explored themes of nature and spirituality, are widely studied and celebrated in Japan.
Another notable figure was Kaeto Mabika, a South African activist and politician who played a pivotal role in the anti-apartheid movement during the 20th century. Mabika was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and served as a member of parliament after the country's transition to democracy in 1994.
In the field of sports, Kaeto Molea was a Samoan rugby union player who represented his country in the late 1990s and early 2000s. He was a key member of the Samoan national team and played in several Rugby World Cup tournaments.
While the name Kaeto is not as common today as it once was, its historical significance and cultural roots in the Arawak language continue to resonate, serving as a reminder of the rich diversity of indigenous cultures and traditions across the globe.
People
Kaeto + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaeto as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaeto: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaeto?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 13 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaeto 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 26,365,718 US residents.
Is Kaeto a common name?
We classify Kaeto as "Very Rare". It ranks above 33.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 13 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaeto most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaeto was 2014, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaeto is about 8 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 Kaeto in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaeto a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaeto 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 Kaeto still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaeto 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 Kaeto 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 Americans are named Kaeto?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.