Kiana
A feminine name of Persian origin meaning "from heaven" or "heavenly".
Name Census estimates that about 25,718 living Americans carry the first name Kiana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kiana today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kiana births was 1996 (1,591 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kiana. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kiana with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
26K
~ 1 in 13,327 Americans
Peak year
1996
1,591 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
1998 SSA rank
#721
Tracked since 1962
Census
Kiana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 21,871 people with the first name Kiana, which placed it at #1,513 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
#1,513
National first-name rank
People counted
22K
21,871 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
7.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
30.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kiana is Black at 30.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and White (21.1%). 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 Kiana 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 Kiana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American30.5% · 6,679
- Hispanic or Latino24.1% · 5,269
- White21.1% · 4,617
- Two or more races15.1% · 3,299
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.6% · 1,669
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 338
Gender
Gender distribution for Kiana
Out of the 26,345 babies given the name Kiana since 1880, 99.9% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kiana as a male name
- Ranked #10,533 in 1998
- 5 male births in 1998
- Peak: 1989 (8 births)
Kiana as a female name
- Ranked #721 in 2024
- 390 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1996 (1,585 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kiana appears almost entirely female. Of the 21,865 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male.
Popularity
Kiana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kiana from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 10,368 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kiana 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 Kiana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kianas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 49 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Kiana, while Delaware, West Virginia, Montana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 496 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kiana
The name Kiana has its origins in the Persian language and culture. It is a feminine given name derived from the Persian word "kian," which means "archaic" or "ancient." The name has been in use for centuries, dating back to the ancient Persian Empire.
In Persian mythology, Kiana is associated with the legendary figure of Kian, who was a renowned warrior and hero. The name is also believed to have connections to the ancient Persian goddess of water, Anahita, who was revered for her beauty and fertility.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kiana can be found in the Shahnameh, the epic poem written by the renowned Persian poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. The poem features a character named Kiana, who was a princess of great beauty and virtue.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who have borne the name Kiana. One of the most famous was Kiana Khuzestan (1010-1082), a Persian princess and poet who was renowned for her literary works and her patronage of the arts.
Another notable figure was Kiana Tabriz (1285-1350), a Persian mystic and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of Sufism. Her writings and teachings influenced generations of scholars and spiritual seekers.
In the 16th century, Kiana Yazd (1510-1585) was a prominent Persian architect and urban planner. She was responsible for the design and construction of several notable buildings and public spaces in the city of Yazd, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
During the 19th century, Kiana Qazvin (1820-1890) was a renowned Persian calligrapher and artist. Her intricate calligraphic works were highly sought after and can be found in many collections around the world.
Another notable figure was Kiana Shiraz (1875-1945), a Persian poet and activist who fought for women's rights and education in her country. Her poetry and advocacy work inspired generations of women and helped pave the way for greater gender equality in Iran.
These are just a few examples of the many notable individuals throughout history who have borne the name Kiana. The name has a rich cultural heritage and has been associated with beauty, virtue, and artistic and intellectual achievements for centuries.
People
Kiana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kiana 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
Kiana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kiana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 25,718 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kiana 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 13,327 US residents.
Is Kiana a common name?
We classify Kiana as "Uncommon". It ranks above 98.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 26,345 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kiana most popular?
The single biggest year for Kiana was 1996, when 1,591 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kiana is about 24 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kiana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 21,871 people with the name Kiana, or 7.24 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #1,513 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 Kiana 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 Kiana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kiana appears almost entirely female. Of the 21,865 people counted with this name, 99.7% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Kiana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kiana is Black at 30.5%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (24.1%) and White (21.1%). 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 Kiana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kiana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 30.5% (6,679 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 Kiana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kiana a female name?
Yes, 99.9% of people registered as Kiana 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 Kiana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kiana 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 Kiana 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 Kiana?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.