Kawaski
A Japanese name with various possible meanings including "river path" or "marsh cape".
Name Census estimates that about 35 living Americans carry the first name Kawaski. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kawaski today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kawaski births was 1979 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kawaski. 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 Kawaski. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
35
~ 1 in 9,792,981 Americans
Peak year
1979
11 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
1999 SSA rank
#10,788
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Kawaski: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kawaski from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 22 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Kawaski remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kawaski 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 Kawaski during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kawaskis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kawaski
The given name Kawaski has its roots in the Japanese language and culture. It is believed to have originated in the late 17th or early 18th century, during the Edo period in Japan. The name is thought to be derived from the Japanese word "kawasaki," which means "river bank" or "river mouth."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kawaski can be found in the historical records of the Kawasaki clan, a prominent samurai family that ruled over the Kawasaki Domain in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. The name was likely adopted by members of this clan or those associated with the region.
In ancient Japanese literature, there are no direct references to the name Kawaski. However, the name's connection to the word "kawasaki" and its geographical significance may have been mentioned in some historical texts or records related to the Kawasaki Domain and its surroundings.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the name Kawaski was Kawaski Gensai (1834-1908), a Japanese scholar and poet who lived during the late Edo and early Meiji periods. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Japanese literature and for his works of haiku poetry.
Another significant figure bearing the name Kawaski was Kawaski Takiji (1904-1933), a Japanese novelist and social activist. He is celebrated for his pioneering works of proletarian literature and his efforts to shed light on the struggles of the working class in Japan during the early 20th century.
In the realm of sports, Kawaski Tetsuharu (1916-1989) was a Japanese professional baseball player and manager. He played for the Yomiuri Giants and was later inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame, cementing his legacy in the sport.
Kawaski Hiroshi (1925-2009) was a renowned Japanese artist and sculptor. His works, often inspired by traditional Japanese aesthetics and contemporary themes, have been exhibited in galleries and museums around the world, earning him international recognition.
Lastly, Kawaski Yukio (born 1936) is a Japanese theoretical physicist who has made significant contributions to the field of particle physics. He is particularly known for his work on the theory of supersymmetry and has received numerous awards and honors for his research.
While these are just a few examples, the name Kawaski has been borne by many notable individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in various fields and disciplines.
People
Kawaski + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kawaski 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
Kawaski: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kawaski?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 35 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kawaski 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 9,792,981 US residents.
Is Kawaski a common name?
We classify Kawaski as "Very Rare". It ranks above 48.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 37 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kawaski most popular?
The single biggest year for Kawaski was 1979, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kawaski is about 42 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 Kawaski in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kawaski a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kawaski 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 Kawaski still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kawaski 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 Kawaski 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 many people are named Kawaski?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Kawaski at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.