Kana
Feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "the beautiful one".
Name Census estimates that about 849 living Americans carry the first name Kana. It is a predominantly female name (97.9% of registrations). The average person named Kana today is around 26 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kana births was 2006 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kana. 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.
People living today
849
~ 1 in 403,715 Americans
Peak year
2006
27 babies that year
Average age
26
years old
2011 SSA rank
#6,254
Tracked since 1956
Gender
Gender distribution for Kana
Kana leans heavily female at 97.9% of total registrations, but 18 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kana as a male name
- Ranked #11,562 in 2011
- 6 male births in 2011
- Peak: 2005 (6 births)
Kana as a female name
- Ranked #6,254 in 2024
- 19 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2006 (27 births)
Popularity
Kana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kana from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 227 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kana 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 Kana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kanas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Kana, while Illinois, New York, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kana
The name Kana has its origins in various cultures and languages around the world. It is believed to have derived from the Japanese word "kana," which refers to the syllabic scripts used alongside the logographic kanji in written Japanese. The kana scripts, hiragana and katakana, are phonetic scripts that were developed to represent the Japanese language more accurately.
In Japanese culture, Kana is a unisex name that can be used for both boys and girls. It is often associated with the concepts of purity, simplicity, and elegance, reflecting the aesthetic principles of traditional Japanese art and literature.
Beyond its Japanese roots, the name Kana has also been found in various other cultures and contexts. In Sanskrit, the name Kana is derived from the word "kana," meaning "small" or "young." This connection suggests that the name may have been used to signify a sense of youth, innocence, or tender age.
Historically, the name Kana has been recorded in ancient texts and religious scriptures, though its exact origins remain obscure. One notable reference is found in the Buddhist scriptures, where the term "kana" is used to describe a type of celestial being or divine entity.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the first name Kana. One of the earliest recorded examples is Kana no Naishi (995-1035), a Japanese court lady and poet of the Heian period, renowned for her contributions to the imperial anthology "Goshūi Wakashū."
Another significant figure is Kana Nishino (born in 1989), a Japanese singer, songwriter, and actress who has gained immense popularity for her music and acting roles in various Japanese television dramas and films.
In the realm of sports, Kana Ichikawa (born in 1992) is a Japanese professional tennis player who has achieved notable success on the WTA Tour, winning multiple singles and doubles titles.
Kana Tsugihara (born in 1984) is a Japanese actress and model known for her roles in various Japanese television series and movies, as well as her work as a fashion model.
Lastly, Kana Hanazawa (born in 1986) is a renowned Japanese voice actress who has lent her voice to numerous anime characters and has gained a significant following among anime fans worldwide.
These are just a few examples of the many individuals throughout history who have carried the name Kana, each contributing to its rich cultural legacy and diverse meanings across various contexts.
People
Kana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kana 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
Kana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 849 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kana 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 403,715 US residents.
Is Kana a common name?
We classify Kana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 878 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kana most popular?
The single biggest year for Kana was 2006, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kana is about 26 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kana a female name?
Yes, 97.9% of people registered as Kana 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.