Kami
A Japanese name meaning "spirit" or "divinity".
Name Census estimates that about 8,359 living Americans carry the first name Kami. It is a predominantly female name (99.4% of registrations). The average person named Kami today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kami births was 1980 (307 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kami. 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
- • Although Kami is used almost entirely for girls, the SSA data does show 52 boys registered with the name since 1880.
People living today
8.4K
~ 1 in 41,004 Americans
Peak year
1980
307 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2023 SSA rank
#3,909
Tracked since 1957
Gender
Gender distribution for Kami
Out of the 8,931 babies given the name Kami since 1880, 99.4% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kami as a male name
- Ranked #11,516 in 2023
- 6 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2022 (10 births)
Kami as a female name
- Ranked #3,909 in 2024
- 38 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1980 (307 births)
Popularity
Kami: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kami from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 2,438 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kami 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 Kami during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kamis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 40 states and territories. Texas, California, Utah recorded the most babies named Kami, while West Virginia, South Carolina, New Jersey recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 133 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kami
The name Kami has its origins in Japanese culture and language, dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Japanese word "kami," which means "god," "spirit," or "divinity." This word has deep roots in the traditional Shinto religion of Japan, where it refers to the sacred forces of nature that are worshipped and revered.
In Shinto mythology, kami are believed to be the deities or spiritual entities that inhabit and govern various aspects of the natural world, such as mountains, rivers, trees, and even certain objects or concepts. The word "kami" can also be used to refer to the souls or spirits of deceased ancestors who are honored and venerated within the Shinto tradition.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kami can be traced back to ancient Japanese texts and records, including the Kojiki (Records of Ancient Matters) and the Nihon Shoki (Chronicles of Japan), which were compiled in the 8th century CE. These texts contain references to various kami, their stories, and their significance in Japanese mythology and folklore.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kami. One of the earliest examples is Kami Musubi no Kami, a significant deity in Shinto mythology who is believed to be the kami of love, marriage, and childbirth. Another figure is Kami Musuhi no Kami, a kami associated with the creation of the universe and the separation of heaven and earth.
In more recent times, the name Kami has been carried by various influential individuals, including:
1. Kami Tomioka (1879-1936), a Japanese artist and printmaker known for his woodblock prints depicting traditional Japanese life and landscapes.
2. Kami Saka (1901-1975), a Japanese author and poet who was a prominent figure in the literary movement known as the "Shinkankakuha" (New Sensationalist School).
3. Kami Okada (1923-2012), a Japanese politician who served as a member of the House of Representatives and was known for her advocacy of gender equality and women's rights.
4. Kami Umezaki (1914-1999), a Japanese businessman and philanthropist who founded the Umezaki Institute of Industrial Technology and made significant contributions to education and technology.
5. Kami Mizuno (1971-present), a Japanese professional golfer who has won multiple tournaments on the LPGA Tour and is considered one of the most successful Japanese golfers of all time.
The name Kami carries a rich heritage and deep spiritual significance within Japanese culture, reflecting the reverence for the natural world and the belief in the presence of divine forces that permeate all aspects of life.
People
Kami + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kami 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
Kami: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kami?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8,359 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kami 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 41,004 US residents.
Is Kami a common name?
We classify Kami as "Rare". It ranks above 97.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8,931 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kami most popular?
The single biggest year for Kami was 1980, when 307 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kami is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kami a female name?
Yes, 99.4% of people registered as Kami 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.
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.