Kewana
An invented name with no defined meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 159 living Americans carry the first name Kewana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kewana today is around 44 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kewana births was 1980 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kewana. 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
159
~ 1 in 2,155,688 Americans
Peak year
1980
15 babies that year
Average age
44
years old
1998 SSA rank
#13,289
Tracked since 1972
Census
Kewana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 171 people with the first name Kewana, which placed it at #42,203 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
#42,203
National first-name rank
People counted
171
171 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
94.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kewana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kewana is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Kewana 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 Kewana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American94.2% · 161
- White2.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 1
- Two or more races0.6% · 1
Popularity
Kewana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kewana from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 85 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Kewana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kewana 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 Kewana 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 Kewana
The name Kewana originates from the indigenous Mapuche people of Chile and Argentina. Its roots can be traced back to the early 16th century when the Spanish conquistadors first encountered the Mapuche in the region known as La Araucanía. Kewana is derived from the Mapudungun language spoken by the Mapuche, which has been in use for centuries.
Kewana is believed to be derived from the Mapudungun word "kewan," which means "blue" or "green." This could suggest that the name may have been initially associated with the natural surroundings and landscapes of the Mapuche territories, which are known for their lush forests and rolling hills.
While the name Kewana does not appear to have any direct references in ancient texts or religious scriptures, its linguistic roots in the Mapudungun language provide a direct connection to the rich cultural heritage of the Mapuche people.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kewana dates back to the late 17th century, when a Mapuche leader and warrior named Kewana Guilu led his people in resistance against the Spanish colonizers. Guilu's bravery and leadership during this period of conflict have made him a revered figure in Mapuche history.
Another notable figure with the name Kewana was Kewana Neculpan, a Mapuche scholar and linguist who lived in the 19th century. Neculpan dedicated his life to preserving the Mapudungun language and documenting the traditions and customs of his people.
In the 20th century, Kewana Trankura, a Mapuche artist and activist, gained recognition for her vibrant paintings depicting the struggles and resilience of her people. Her works have been exhibited in galleries throughout Chile and abroad.
Kewana Antileo, a contemporary Mapuche writer and poet, has contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of Mapuche literature and culture through her published works and advocacy efforts.
Kewana Millapan, a Mapuche musician and composer, has gained recognition for his fusion of traditional Mapuche melodies with modern musical styles, helping to keep the rich musical heritage of his people alive.
While the name Kewana has its roots in the Mapuche culture of Chile and Argentina, its unique and melodic sound has resonated with people from various backgrounds, leading to its adoption and appreciation across different regions and cultures.
People
Kewana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kewana 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
Kewana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kewana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 159 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kewana 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 2,155,688 US residents.
Is Kewana a common name?
We classify Kewana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 171 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kewana most popular?
The single biggest year for Kewana was 1980, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kewana is about 44 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kewana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 171 people with the name Kewana, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #42,203 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 Kewana 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 Kewana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kewana leans strongly female. 160 people counted with this name were female (97.0%), compared with 5 male bearers (3.0%). 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 Kewana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kewana is Black at 94.2%. The next largest groups are White (2.3%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Kewana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kewana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (161 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 Kewana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kewana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kewana 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 Kewana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kewana 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 Kewana 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 Americans are named Kewana?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Kewana at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.