Karamo
A masculine Arabic name meaning "generous" or "noble".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Karamo. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Karamo today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Karamo births was 2018 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Karamo. 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 Karamo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2018
6 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2018 SSA rank
#11,476
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Karamo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Karamo from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Karamo 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 Karamo 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 Karamo
The name Karamo has its origins in the Swahili language, which is widely spoken in East Africa, particularly in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. It is believed to have emerged during the 16th or 17th century, when Swahili culture and trade flourished along the coastal regions of the Indian Ocean.
Karamo is derived from the Swahili word "karamu," which means "celebration" or "festivity." It is a name that carries a sense of joy, happiness, and celebration. The name was likely given to children born during significant events or festivals, as a way to commemorate the joyous occasion.
While there are no direct references to the name Karamo in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been a part of the cultural fabric of the Swahili people for centuries. The earliest recorded use of the name Karamo can be traced back to the late 18th century, when it appeared in various historical records and genealogical documents from the region.
One of the earliest and most notable figures to bear the name Karamo was Karamo bin Abdallah, a Swahili poet and scholar who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was renowned for his contributions to Swahili literature and his efforts to preserve the language and culture of his people.
Another prominent figure was Karamo Mandela, a South African activist and politician who lived from 1910 to 1990. He was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and played a significant role in the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.
In more recent times, Karamo Brown, an American television personality and culture expert, has brought renewed attention to the name. Born in 1980, he is best known for his role on the Netflix series "Queer Eye."
Other notable individuals with the name Karamo include Karamo Njå, a Norwegian politician and member of the Sámi Parliament, born in 1967, and Karamo Diaby, a Senegalese football player who played for various clubs in Europe during the 1990s and 2000s.
The name Karamo continues to be popular among various communities in East Africa and among the Swahili diaspora around the world. Its rich cultural heritage and association with joy and celebration have contributed to its enduring appeal.
People
Karamo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Karamo 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
Karamo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Karamo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Karamo 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Karamo a common name?
We classify Karamo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Karamo most popular?
The single biggest year for Karamo was 2018, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Karamo is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Karamo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Karamo a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Karamo 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 Karamo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Karamo 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 Karamo 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Karamo?
See how many people have the name Karamo on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.