Kamiah
A feminine name of uncertain meaning, possibly derived from an indigenous language.
Name Census estimates that about 1,715 living Americans carry the first name Kamiah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kamiah today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kamiah births was 2016 (125 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kamiah. 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
- • Kamiah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.7K
~ 1 in 199,857 Americans
Peak year
2016
125 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,910
Tracked since 1990
Popularity
Kamiah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kamiah from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 794 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kamiah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kamiah 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 Kamiah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kamiahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. Florida, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Kamiah, while Arkansas, New Jersey, Maryland recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 34 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kamiah
The name Kamiah is believed to have its roots in the Nez Perce language, spoken by the Nez Perce Native American tribe. The Nez Perce people have historically inhabited the Wallowa Valley in northeastern Oregon, as well as parts of Idaho and Washington.
The name Kamiah is thought to be derived from the Nez Perce word "qéemyx̣," which means "lichen" or "tree moss." This connection to nature and the environment is a common theme in many Native American names.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kamiah can be found in the Lewis and Clark journals. During their expedition in the early 1800s, they encountered a Nez Perce village called Camiah, which is believed to be the modern-day town of Kamiah, Idaho.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Kamiah. One such person was Kamiah (c. 1790-1847), a Nez Perce woman who served as a guide and interpreter for the Lewis and Clark expedition. Her assistance was invaluable in helping the explorers navigate through the Nez Perce territory.
Another notable Kamiah was Kamiah (1808-1882), a Nez Perce chief who played a significant role in the Nez Perce War of 1877. He was known for his efforts to maintain peace between his tribe and the United States government.
In the realm of literature, Kamiah is the name of a character in the novel "The Squaw Man" by Farah Wingate (1905). The novel depicts the life of a British aristocrat who falls in love with a Native American woman named Kamiah.
Kamiah is also the name of a fictional character in the novel "The White Dawn" by Virgil Scott (1975), which explores the experiences of a young Native American woman during the early years of European settlement in North America.
Another notable individual with the name Kamiah was Kamiah Sogoree (1920-2010), a Nez Perce author and educator who dedicated her life to preserving the language and culture of her tribe.
People
Kamiah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kamiah 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
Kamiah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kamiah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,715 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kamiah 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 199,857 US residents.
Is Kamiah a common name?
We classify Kamiah as "Rare". It ranks above 93.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,733 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kamiah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kamiah was 2016, when 125 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kamiah is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kamiah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kamiah 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.