Kiaria
An invented female name with no known meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 163 living Americans carry the first name Kiaria. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kiaria today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kiaria births was 2000 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kiaria. 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
163
~ 1 in 2,102,787 Americans
Peak year
2000
17 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2018 SSA rank
#16,957
Tracked since 1989
Census
Kiaria in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 194 people with the first name Kiaria, which placed it at #39,126 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
#39,126
National first-name rank
People counted
194
194 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
64.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiaria
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kiaria is Black at 64.4%. The next largest groups are White (14.4%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). 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 Kiaria 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 Kiaria at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American64.4% · 125
- White14.4% · 28
- Two or more races8.2% · 16
- Hispanic or Latino7.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.6% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 3
Popularity
Kiaria: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kiaria from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 76 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
Kiaria 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 Kiaria 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 Kiaria
The name Kiaria is believed to have its origins in the ancient Swahili language, spoken predominantly in East Africa. The earliest records of this name can be traced back to the 12th century in present-day Kenya and Tanzania. Kiaria is derived from the Swahili word "kiari," which translates to "bright" or "radiant," suggesting a connection to the sun or light.
In the 14th century, the name Kiaria appeared in several historical texts and manuscripts documenting the trading routes along the East African coast. One notable reference is found in the "Kilwa Chronicle," a historical account of the Kilwa Sultanate, where a prominent merchant named Kiaria is mentioned as a respected figure in the region's trade network.
The first recorded instance of Kiaria as a given name dates back to the late 15th century, when it was attributed to a renowned Swahili poet and scholar. Kiaria bin Ahmed, born in 1475 in Mombasa, gained recognition for his profound works on Swahili literature and Islamic philosophy.
Throughout the centuries, the name Kiaria has been carried by various notable individuals across East Africa. In the 18th century, Kiaria Mwita, a revered leader of the Mijikenda people in present-day Kenya, played a pivotal role in uniting several ethnic groups and establishing settlements along the coast.
Another prominent figure was Kiaria Ngati, a 19th-century Swahili explorer and navigator who embarked on daring expeditions, mapping uncharted territories and contributing to the region's geographical knowledge.
In the realm of arts and culture, Kiaria Mbaga, born in 1892 in Zanzibar, was a celebrated Swahili sculptor and woodcarver, renowned for his intricate works that depicted scenes from daily life and traditional folklore.
The name Kiaria has also been associated with influential political leaders, such as Kiaria Mwinyi, a respected statesman and diplomat from Tanzania, who played a crucial role in promoting regional cooperation and peace initiatives during the latter half of the 20th century.
While the name Kiaria has roots in East Africa, its unique sound and meaning have resonated across various cultures and communities over the centuries, making it a testament to the rich linguistic diversity and historical significance of the Swahili language and its influence in the region.
People
Kiaria + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kiaria 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
Kiaria: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kiaria?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 163 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kiaria 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 2,102,787 US residents.
Is Kiaria a common name?
We classify Kiaria as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 167 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kiaria most popular?
The single biggest year for Kiaria was 2000, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kiaria is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kiaria in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 194 people with the name Kiaria, or 0.06 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #39,126 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 Kiaria 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 Kiaria?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kiaria leans strongly female. 192 people counted with this name were female (98.0%), compared with 4 male bearers (2.0%). 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 Kiaria?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kiaria is Black at 64.4%. The next largest groups are White (14.4%) and Two or More Races (8.2%). 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 Kiaria most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kiaria in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.4% (125 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 Kiaria in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kiaria a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kiaria 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 Kiaria still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kiaria 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 Kiaria 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 are called Kiaria?
You can see how many people share the name Kiaria on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.