Kava
A Polynesian name derived from the kava plant or its drink.
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Kava. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kava today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kava births was 1969 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kava. 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 Kava. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1969
5 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2020 SSA rank
#16,296
Tracked since 1969
Census
Kava in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 101 people with the first name Kava, which placed it at #53,227 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
#53,227
National first-name rank
People counted
101
101 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
37.6% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kava
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kava is White at 37.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%). 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 Kava 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 Kava at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White37.6% · 38
- Black or African American26.7% · 27
- Asian and Pacific Islander22.8% · 23
- Two or more races11.9% · 12
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Popularity
Kava: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kava from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 5 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
Kava 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 Kava 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 Kava
The name Kava is believed to have originated from the Polynesian languages, specifically from the Tongan and Samoan cultures. It is derived from the name of the kava plant, which is a crop widely cultivated in the Pacific islands for its sedative and anesthetic properties.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kava dates back to ancient Polynesian societies, where it was commonly given to individuals born around the time of the kava harvest or those who played a significant role in the cultivation and preparation of the kava drink. The name was deeply rooted in the cultural traditions and rituals surrounding the consumption of kava, which held spiritual and ceremonial significance.
In the Samoan language, the word "kava" means "bitter," referring to the slightly bitter taste of the kava beverage. The name Kava also appeared in various Polynesian myths and legends, often associated with deities or mythical figures related to agriculture, fertility, and the natural world.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kava was Kava'onau, a renowned Tongan chief and navigator who lived in the late 17th century. He was known for his expertise in traditional navigation techniques and his voyages across the Pacific Ocean.
Another notable figure with the name Kava was Kava'aupō, a Samoan high chief and warrior who lived in the early 19th century. He played a significant role in the unification of the Samoan islands and was highly respected for his leadership and military prowess.
In the realm of literature, Kava is the name of a character in the epic Samoan story "O le Faimāsino," which recounts the adventures and struggles of a legendary judge. This character's name reflects the cultural significance of the kava plant in Samoan society.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the name Kava was also adopted by individuals from other Pacific island nations, such as Fiji and Tonga, as a tribute to the shared cultural heritage and the importance of the kava plant in their respective traditions.
One notable example is Kava Nandan, a Fijian politician and diplomat who served as the President of the United Nations General Assembly from 1976 to 1977. He was born in 1920 and played a significant role in Fiji's independence movement and subsequent international relations.
Another individual with the name Kava was Kava'inga Nui, a Tongan high chief and political leader who lived in the late 19th century. He was instrumental in negotiating treaties and establishing diplomatic relations between Tonga and other nations.
People
Kava + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kava 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
Kava: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kava?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kava 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 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Kava a common name?
We classify Kava as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 15 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kava most popular?
The single biggest year for Kava was 1969, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kava is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kava in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 101 people with the name Kava, or 0.03 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #53,227 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 Kava 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 Kava?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kava on both sides of the split. Of the 106 people counted with this name, 37 were male (34.9%) and 69 were female (65.1%). 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 Kava?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kava is White at 37.6%. The next largest groups are Black (26.7%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (22.8%). 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 Kava most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kava in the 2020 Census, accounting for 37.6% (38 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 Kava in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kava a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kava 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 Kava still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kava 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 Kava 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 people are named Kava?
Find out how many Americans are named Kava on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.