Kashmere
A feminine name of Indian origin relating to Kashmir, a region known for its beauty.
Name Census estimates that about 1,024 living Americans carry the first name Kashmere. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 52.3% of registrations being male. The average person named Kashmere today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kashmere births was 2022 (82 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kashmere. 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
- • Kashmere sits in rare territory as a truly gender-neutral name, given to boys and girls in near-equal numbers.
- • Kashmere is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 12 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 334,721 Americans
Peak year
2022
82 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,642
Tracked since 1986
Census
Kashmere in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 525 people with the first name Kashmere, which placed it at #19,901 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
#19,901
National first-name rank
People counted
525
525 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
80.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kashmere
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kashmere is Black at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Kashmere 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 Kashmere at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American80.6% · 423
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 40
- Two or more races6.5% · 34
- White4.2% · 22
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 3
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Kashmere
Kashmere is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,035 total registrations, 541 (52.3%) were male and 494 (47.7%) were female.
Kashmere as a male name
- Ranked #2,642 in 2024
- 50 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (63 births)
Kashmere as a female name
- Ranked #5,859 in 2024
- 21 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2009 (25 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kashmere on both sides of the split. Of the 529 people counted with this name, 236 were male (44.6%) and 293 were female (55.4%).
Popularity
Kashmere: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kashmere from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 384 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
Kashmere 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 Kashmere during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kashmeres live
The SSA's state-level files cover 10 states and territories. New York, North Carolina, Georgia recorded the most babies named Kashmere, while Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kashmere
The name Kashmere originates from the region of Kashmir, a picturesque valley nestled in the Himalayan mountains between India and Pakistan. The name is derived from the Sanskrit words "Ka" meaning water and "Shimeera" meaning desiccated, referring to the region's vast lakes and arid landscapes.
In ancient Hindu texts, Kashmir is described as a paradise on earth, known for its stunning natural beauty and spiritual significance. The name Kashmere has been mentioned in various Hindu scriptures and historical records dating back to the 3rd century BCE.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kashmere was a renowned Kashmiri poet and philosopher, Kashmere Pandit, who lived in the 8th century CE. His works explored themes of love, nature, and the human condition, earning him a revered place in the literary tradition of the region.
During the Mughal Empire in the 16th century, a Kashmiri prince named Kashmere Khan played a pivotal role in the conquest of the Kashmir valley. His bravery and military prowess were celebrated in historical accounts of the time.
In the 19th century, a prominent Kashmiri scholar and linguist, Kashmere Nath, made significant contributions to the study of Sanskrit and Kashmiri languages. His works helped preserve the rich cultural heritage of the region and inspired future generations of scholars.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kashmere was a renowned Kashmiri artist and painter, Kashmere Malik, who lived in the early 20th century. His vibrant depictions of Kashmiri landscapes and traditional life captured the essence of the region and earned him international recognition.
While the name Kashmere has its origins in the Kashmir region, it has transcended geographical boundaries and gained popularity worldwide. Its association with the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of Kashmir has made it a name revered by many.
People
Kashmere + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kashmere 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
Kashmere: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kashmere?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,024 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kashmere 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 334,721 US residents.
Is Kashmere a common name?
We classify Kashmere as "Rare". It ranks above 90.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,035 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kashmere most popular?
The single biggest year for Kashmere was 2022, when 82 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kashmere is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kashmere in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 525 people with the name Kashmere, or 0.17 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,901 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 Kashmere 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 Kashmere?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kashmere on both sides of the split. Of the 529 people counted with this name, 236 were male (44.6%) and 293 were female (55.4%). 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 Kashmere?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kashmere is Black at 80.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.6%) and Two or More Races (6.5%). 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 Kashmere most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kashmere in the 2020 Census, accounting for 80.6% (423 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 Kashmere in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kashmere a male name?
Yes, 52.3% of people registered as Kashmere 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 Kashmere still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kashmere 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 Kashmere 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 many Americans are named Kashmere?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.