Keva
A masculine Scandinavian/Swedish name of unknown meaning but possibly related to "stone".
Name Census estimates that about 1,161 living Americans carry the first name Keva. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Keva today is around 39 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Keva births was 1974 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Keva. 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
1.2K
~ 1 in 295,223 Americans
Peak year
1974
45 babies that year
Average age
39
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,446
Tracked since 1954
Popularity
Keva: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Keva from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 363 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Keva 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 Keva during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kevas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Tennessee, Louisiana, Texas recorded the most babies named Keva, while Illinois, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Keva
The name Keva is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which is an ancient Indo-Aryan language that dates back to the second millennium BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "kevi," which means "handsome" or "beautiful." This name was commonly used in various regions of the Indian subcontinent, particularly in the northern parts of the country.
One of the earliest known references to the name Keva can be found in the ancient Hindu scriptures, the Vedas. In the Rigveda, one of the oldest and most revered texts of Hinduism, there is a mention of a sage or rishi named Keva. However, not much is known about this individual beyond their name being recorded in the sacred texts.
In the later centuries, the name Keva gained popularity among various ruling dynasties and noble families in India. One notable figure in history who bore this name was Keva Raja, a ruler of the Nayaka dynasty who reigned over the Kingdom of Gingee (modern-day Tamil Nadu) in the 17th century. His reign was marked by significant architectural achievements, including the construction of the renowned Gingee Fort.
Another historical figure named Keva was Keva Rama Naidu, a military commander and chieftain from the Nellore region of Andhra Pradesh. He played a crucial role in the resistance against the British East India Company in the late 18th century, leading his forces in several battles against the colonial forces.
Moving further back in time, there are records of a Buddhist monk named Keva who lived during the 5th century CE in the region of present-day Afghanistan. He is credited with translating several Buddhist texts from Sanskrit into Chinese, contributing to the spread of Buddhism in East Asia.
In the realm of literature, the name Keva appears in some ancient Sanskrit texts and poetic works. One such example is the "Keva Kavya," a collection of poems attributed to a poet named Keva, who is believed to have lived during the medieval period in India.
While the name Keva has roots in the Indian subcontinent, it has also been adopted and used in various other cultures and regions over time, albeit with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. This name has stood the test of time and continues to be used in modern times, carrying with it a rich cultural heritage and historical significance.
People
Keva + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Keva 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
Keva: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Keva?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Keva 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 295,223 US residents.
Is Keva a common name?
We classify Keva as "Rare". It ranks above 91% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,258 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Keva most popular?
The single biggest year for Keva was 1974, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Keva is about 39 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Keva a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Keva 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.
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.