Kamaria
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "moon" or "shining moon".
Name Census estimates that about 2,895 living Americans carry the first name Kamaria. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kamaria today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kamaria births was 2008 (134 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kamaria. 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 Kamaria with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.9K
~ 1 in 118,395 Americans
Peak year
2008
134 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,699
Tracked since 1973
Census
Kamaria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,109 people with the first name Kamaria, which placed it at #7,283 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,283
National first-name rank
People counted
2.1K
2,109 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
83.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamaria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kamaria is Black at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kamaria described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kamaria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American83.9% · 1,770
- Two or more races7.8% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 79
- White3.6% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 7
Popularity
Kamaria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kamaria from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 973 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kamaria remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kamaria 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 Kamaria during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kamarias live
The SSA's state-level files cover 20 states and territories. Georgia, Florida, Illinois recorded the most babies named Kamaria, while Missouri, Minnesota, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 64 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kamaria
The name Kamaria has its roots in the Swahili language, which is spoken primarily in East Africa, particularly in Kenya, Tanzania, and parts of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The name is derived from the Arabic word "qamar," which means "moon." This suggests that the name Kamaria may have its origins in Islamic culture, as Arabic was the language of the Quran, and many Arabic words were incorporated into Swahili.
In Swahili, the prefix "ka-" is often added to nouns to create a diminutive form, indicating smallness or endearment. Thus, Kamaria could be interpreted as "little moon" or "small moon." While the name's exact origin is uncertain, it is plausible that it was initially used as a term of affection for a child, drawing inspiration from the beauty and serenity of the moon.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kamaria is difficult to trace, as historical records from the region were often oral or written in languages that are now extinct. However, it is likely that the name has been in use for several centuries, as Swahili culture and language have a long and rich history dating back to the 7th century.
One notable historical figure who bore the name Kamaria was a Swahili princess from the 19th century. She was the daughter of a powerful ruler in the Lamu Archipelago, which is now part of Kenya. While details about her life are scarce, her name has been preserved in local legends and folklore, suggesting that she was a significant figure in her time.
Another notable Kamaria was a Swahili poet and storyteller who lived in the late 18th century. She was renowned for her skill in reciting traditional tales and poems, and her works were passed down through oral tradition. While her full name has been lost to history, her contributions to the preservation of Swahili culture and literature have been recognized by scholars.
In the 20th century, one of the most famous individuals to bear the name Kamaria was a Tanzanian singer and songwriter. Born in 1945, Kamaria Mrisho rose to prominence in the 1970s with her powerful voice and socially conscious lyrics. Her music often focused on themes of love, social justice, and cultural pride, and she is regarded as one of the pioneers of modern Tanzanian music.
Another notable Kamaria was a Kenyan activist and community leader born in 1960. Kamaria Wangari dedicated her life to advocating for women's rights, education, and environmental conservation. She founded several grassroots organizations and was recognized internationally for her efforts, receiving numerous awards and honors.
In more recent times, the name Kamaria has gained popularity beyond its East African roots. It has been embraced by families around the world who appreciate its unique sound and cultural significance. While the name's origins may be ancient, its beauty and meaning continue to resonate with people of diverse backgrounds, ensuring that the legacy of Kamaria will endure for generations to come.
People
Kamaria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kamaria 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
Kamaria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kamaria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,895 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kamaria 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 118,395 US residents.
Is Kamaria a common name?
We classify Kamaria as "Rare". It ranks above 95.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,957 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kamaria most popular?
The single biggest year for Kamaria was 2008, when 134 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kamaria is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kamaria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,109 people with the name Kamaria, or 0.70 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,283 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kamaria in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kamaria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kamaria leans strongly female. 2,085 people counted with this name were female (98.6%), compared with 30 male bearers (1.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kamaria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kamaria is Black at 83.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kamaria most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kamaria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.9% (1,770 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kamaria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kamaria a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kamaria in the SSA data are female. 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 Kamaria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kamaria 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 Kamaria 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.
How many people are named Kamaria?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.