Kanetra
An invented feminine name likely meant to convey a feeling of exoticism.
Name Census estimates that about 84 living Americans carry the first name Kanetra. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kanetra today is around 41 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kanetra births was 1991 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kanetra. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kanetra. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
84
~ 1 in 4,080,409 Americans
Peak year
1991
11 babies that year
Average age
41
years old
1998 SSA rank
#13,220
Tracked since 1976
Census
Kanetra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 104 people with the first name Kanetra, which placed it at #52,876 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
#52,876
National first-name rank
People counted
104
104 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
93.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kanetra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kanetra is Black at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Kanetra 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 Kanetra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American93.3% · 97
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.9% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Popularity
Kanetra: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kanetra from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 42 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Kanetra remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kanetra 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 Kanetra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kanetra
The name Kanetra is of African origin, believed to have its roots in the Swahili language spoken in parts of East Africa. It is thought to be a combination of two words, "kane" meaning "born" and "tra" meaning "path" or "journey," suggesting that Kanetra may signify "one born on a journey" or "one born for a purpose."
The earliest known usage of the name Kanetra can be traced back to the 18th century in regions of present-day Tanzania and Kenya. It was commonly given to children born during times of migration or travel, reflecting the nomadic traditions of certain tribes and communities.
While there are no definitive historical records or ancient texts that mention the name Kanetra directly, some scholars believe it may have been derived from or influenced by similar-sounding names found in ancient East African languages and dialects.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kanetra was Kanetra Mbili, a renowned storyteller and oral historian from the Maasai tribe in the late 19th century. She was known for her vivid tales that preserved the cultural heritage and traditions of her people.
Another notable figure was Kanetra Juma, a skilled basket weaver and artisan who lived in the early 20th century. Her intricate designs and techniques were widely admired and passed down through generations.
In the realm of literature, Kanetra Mwamba was a celebrated poet and writer from Tanzania in the mid-20th century. Her works explored themes of identity, culture, and the African experience, earning her critical acclaim and recognition.
Kanetra Kimani, a Kenyan activist and advocate for women's rights, made significant contributions to advancing gender equality and empowerment in the latter half of the 20th century. Her efforts inspired many and paved the way for positive change.
More recently, Kanetra Songo was a renowned Tanzanian musician and composer in the late 20th century, known for her unique blending of traditional African rhythms with contemporary styles, captivating audiences across the continent and beyond.
These examples illustrate the rich history and cultural significance of the name Kanetra, which has been carried by individuals who have left their mark in various fields throughout the centuries.
People
Kanetra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kanetra 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
Kanetra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kanetra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 84 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kanetra 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 4,080,409 US residents.
Is Kanetra a common name?
We classify Kanetra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 62% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 89 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kanetra most popular?
The single biggest year for Kanetra was 1991, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kanetra is about 41 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kanetra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 104 people with the name Kanetra, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #52,876 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 Kanetra 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 Kanetra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kanetra appears almost entirely female. Of the 101 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Kanetra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kanetra is Black at 93.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (1.9%). 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 Kanetra most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kanetra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.3% (97 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 Kanetra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kanetra a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kanetra 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 Kanetra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kanetra 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 Kanetra 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 common is the name Kanetra?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.