Kamau
A masculine name of Kikuyu origin meaning "quiet warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 891 living Americans carry the first name Kamau. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kamau today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kamau births was 1995 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kamau. 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 Kamau with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
891
~ 1 in 384,685 Americans
Peak year
1995
34 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,468
Tracked since 1971
Census
Kamau in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 841 people with the first name Kamau, which placed it at #14,106 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
#14,106
National first-name rank
People counted
841
841 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
89.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kamau
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kamau is Black at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kamau 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 Kamau at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American89.4% · 752
- Two or more races5.7% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 22
- White1.3% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 1
Popularity
Kamau: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kamau from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 246 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kamau 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 Kamau during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kamaus live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. New York, California, Maryland recorded the most babies named Kamau, while Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 15 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kamau
The name Kamau originates from the Kikuyu language, spoken by the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It is believed to have emerged sometime in the 16th or 17th century. The name is derived from the Kikuyu word "Kамаи," which means "quiet warrior" or "silent warrior."
In Kikuyu culture, the name Kamau was typically given to boys who displayed a calm and composed demeanor, even in the face of adversity. It was a name that celebrated strength, resilience, and the ability to navigate challenging situations with grace and poise.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kamau can be found in the oral traditions and folktales passed down through generations of Kikuyu people. These stories often featured characters with names like Kamau, highlighting the cultural significance and respect associated with the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kamau. One of the most famous was Kamau Muriithi (1920-2009), a Kenyan freedom fighter and political activist who played a crucial role in the Mau Mau Uprising against British colonial rule in the 1950s.
Another prominent figure was Kamau Brathwaite (1930-2020), a renowned Barbadian poet and scholar who made significant contributions to the Caribbean literary canon. His works explored themes of identity, history, and the African diaspora experience.
In the realm of sports, Kamau Murray (born 1982) is a former American professional basketball player who had a successful career in various leagues, including the NBA and overseas.
Kamau Bell (born 1973) is an American comedian, sociopolitical commentator, and television host, known for his thought-provoking takes on issues of race, culture, and social justice.
Kamau Sadiki (born 1967) is a British activist, educator, and author who has dedicated his life to promoting human rights and advocating for marginalized communities, particularly within the African diaspora.
While the name Kamau has its roots in Kikuyu culture, it has transcended its origins and gained recognition across various cultures and communities around the world, thanks to the notable individuals who have carried the name with pride and distinction.
People
Kamau + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kamau 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
Kamau: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kamau?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 891 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kamau 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 384,685 US residents.
Is Kamau a common name?
We classify Kamau as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 921 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kamau most popular?
The single biggest year for Kamau was 1995, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kamau is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kamau in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 841 people with the name Kamau, or 0.28 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #14,106 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 Kamau 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 Kamau?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kamau appears almost entirely male. Of the 846 people counted with this name, 99.6% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Kamau?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kamau is Black at 89.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.7%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Kamau most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kamau in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.4% (752 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 Kamau in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kamau a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kamau 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 Kamau still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kamau 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 Kamau 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 Kamau?
Find out how many people have the name Kamau on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.