Kem first name popularity, history and meaning

Find out how popular the first name Kem has been for the last 32 years (from 1974 to 2005) and learn more about the meaning and history.

Meaning of Kem

A French derivative of the Greek name Kyriakos meaning "lord" or "master".

Popularity of Kem by gender

Based on the last 32 years of data, Kem is more commonly used as a male name, with approximately 80% of people named Kem being male.

For the most recent data in 2005, there were 6 male babies and 0 female babies born with the name Kem.

Year Male Count Female Count
2005 6 0
1994 5 0
1993 5 0
1989 6 0
1986 6 0
1983 6 0
1982 5 0
1980 5 0
1978 6 0
1977 5 5
1976 5 5
1975 0 7
1974 8 0

The history of the first name Kem

The given name Kem has its origins in the ancient Egyptian language, where it was derived from the word "kem," which means "black." This name dates back to the Old Kingdom period of ancient Egypt, around the 3rd millennium BCE, and was likely used to describe individuals with dark complexions or black hair.

In ancient Egyptian texts and hieroglyphic inscriptions, the name Kem appears as a personal name, often associated with individuals of high social status or those who held important positions within the pharaonic society. One notable example is Kem, the son of Pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops), who was a prince and a high-ranking official during the 4th Dynasty, around 2500 BCE.

Another historical figure bearing the name Kem was an ancient Egyptian architect and engineer who lived during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser in the 27th century BCE. He is credited with designing and overseeing the construction of the Step Pyramid of Djoser, one of the earliest monumental stone structures in Egypt.

Moving forward in time, the name Kem also appears in Coptic Christian texts from the Byzantine era in Egypt. One notable bearer of this name was Saint Kem, also known as Saint Kem the Black, who lived in the 5th century CE and was renowned for his asceticism and spiritual wisdom.

In the Islamic era, the name Kem was sometimes used as a shortened form of the Arabic name Kamal or Kemal, which means "perfection" or "completion." One famous bearer of this name was Kemal Atatürk, the founder and first president of modern Turkey, who was born in 1881 and died in 1938.

Another notable figure with the name Kem was Kem Sokha, a Cambodian politician and activist who served as the president of the Cambodia National Rescue Party from 2012 to 2017. He was born in 1953 and has been a prominent figure in Cambodian politics for several decades.

While the name Kem has ancient roots in Egyptian culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and cultures throughout history, often carrying meanings related to beauty, blackness, or perfection.

Data source

The first name data used on this page comes from the Social Security Administration (SSA). They've been collecting data on baby names since 1880.

The history and meaning of the name Kem was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kem, please contact us.

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"Kem first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on May 1, 2025. http://namecensus.com/first-names/kem-meaning-and-history/.

"Kem first name popularity, history and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/first-names/kem-meaning-and-history/. Accessed 1 May, 2025

Kem first name popularity, history and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/first-names/kem-meaning-and-history/.

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