Kemon
A masculine African American name meaning "lucky".
Name Census estimates that about 527 living Americans carry the first name Kemon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kemon today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kemon births was 2009 (29 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kemon. 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.
People living today
527
~ 1 in 650,388 Americans
Peak year
2009
29 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#8,646
Tracked since 1979
Census
Kemon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 398 people with the first name Kemon, which placed it at #24,271 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
#24,271
National first-name rank
People counted
398
398 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
87.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kemon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kemon is Black at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Kemon 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 Kemon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American87.7% · 349
- White6.5% · 26
- Two or more races3.5% · 14
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 1
Popularity
Kemon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kemon from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 217 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kemon 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 Kemon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kemons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Georgia, Virginia, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Kemon, while Texas, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kemon
The name Kemon has its origins in ancient Greek culture, dating back to the 5th century BC. It is derived from the Greek word "kemon," which means "sleeper" or "one who rests." This name was likely given to children born during times of peace and tranquility, symbolizing a sense of calmness and serenity.
In ancient Greek mythology, Kemon was the name of a minor deity associated with sleep and dreams. He was often depicted as a young man with wings, carrying a bundle of poppies, a plant known for its sedative properties. This association with the realm of dreams and slumber might have contributed to the name's significance and popularity among the ancient Greeks.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kemon can be found in the works of the ancient Greek playwright Aeschylus, who lived from 525 BC to 456 BC. In his tragedy "The Persians," one of the characters bears this name, though little is known about the specific context or significance of its use.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Kemon. One of the earliest was Kemon of Byzantium, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BC. He was a student of Plato and is known for his contributions to the field of metaphysics.
In the 2nd century AD, Kemon of Alexandria was a renowned Greek mathematician and astronomer. He is credited with developing a method for calculating the date of Easter, which was later adopted by the Christian Church.
During the Byzantine era, Kemon Strategos was a prominent military commander who served under the Emperor Basil II in the late 10th century. He played a significant role in the Byzantine campaigns against the Bulgarians and was renowned for his strategic prowess.
In the realm of literature, Kemon Kouropalatēs was a 12th-century Byzantine poet and scholar. He is known for his contributions to the genre of courtly love poetry and his works exploring the themes of desire and human relationships.
Another notable figure was Kemon of Corinth, a Greek sculptor who lived in the 5th century BC. He was renowned for his intricate marble statues and is considered one of the most skilled sculptors of the Classical period in ancient Greece.
While the name Kemon may not be as common in modern times, its rich history and connections to ancient Greek culture and mythology make it a unique and fascinating choice for those interested in exploring the origins and meanings behind given names.
People
Kemon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kemon 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
Kemon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kemon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 527 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kemon 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 650,388 US residents.
Is Kemon a common name?
We classify Kemon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 85.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 535 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kemon most popular?
The single biggest year for Kemon was 2009, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kemon is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kemon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 398 people with the name Kemon, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #24,271 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 Kemon 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 Kemon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kemon leans strongly male. 389 people counted with this name were male (97.5%), compared with 10 female bearers (2.5%). 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 Kemon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kemon is Black at 87.7%. The next largest groups are White (6.5%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Kemon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kemon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.7% (349 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 Kemon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kemon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kemon 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 Kemon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kemon 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 Kemon 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 share the name Kemon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.