Kiash
A short form of Kiara; a name of Galician origin meaning "light" or "bright".
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Kiash. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kiash today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kiash births was 2019 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kiash. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kiash. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
2019
8 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2019 SSA rank
#9,357
Tracked since 2019
Popularity
Kiash: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kiash 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 Kiash during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kiash
The name Kiash is of ancient Sumerian origin, tracing back to around 3500 BCE in the region of Mesopotamia, which is now modern-day Iraq. It is derived from the Sumerian words "ki" meaning "earth" and "ash" meaning "life-giving." Together, the name Kiash can be interpreted to mean "one who brings life to the earth" or "earth-giver."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kiash appears in a cuneiform inscription found on a clay tablet from the city of Ur, dated to around 2500 BCE. This inscription mentions a figure named "Kiash-ilum," believed to be a high-ranking official or priest during the reign of the Sumerian king Shulgi.
In ancient Sumerian mythology, Kiash was also the name of a minor goddess associated with fertility and agriculture. She was often depicted holding sheaves of wheat or other grains, symbolizing her role as a bringer of abundance and sustenance to the land.
The name Kiash gained prominence in the region during the Akkadian Empire, which ruled over Mesopotamia from around 2350 BCE to 2150 BCE. One notable historical figure with this name was Kiash-nada, a respected scholar and scribe who served under the Akkadian king Sargon of Akkad.
Another important figure with the name Kiash was a Babylonian astronomer and mathematician who lived around 1800 BCE. Known as Kiash-ili, he is credited with making significant contributions to the development of early astronomical calendars and calculations.
During the Neo-Babylonian period (626 BCE - 539 BCE), the name Kiash was associated with a prominent family of priests and scholars. One member of this family, Kiash-ḫuṣur, was a respected astrologer and advisor to King Nebuchadnezzar II.
In more recent times, the name Kiash has been used by individuals from various cultures and backgrounds, although its Sumerian origins are still acknowledged. Some notable bearers of this name include Kiash Mahajan, an Indian writer and poet born in 1914, and Kiash Desai, an American artist and sculptor born in 1977.
People
Kiash + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kiash 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
Kiash: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kiash?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kiash 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Kiash a common name?
We classify Kiash as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 8 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kiash most popular?
The single biggest year for Kiash was 2019, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kiash is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Kiash in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kiash a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kiash 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 Kiash still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kiash 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 Kiash 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Kiash?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.