Kiba
A masculine Japanese name meaning "fang" or "tusk".
Name Census estimates that about 11 living Americans carry the first name Kiba. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kiba today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kiba births was 2015 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kiba. 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 Kiba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
11
~ 1 in 31,159,485 Americans
Peak year
2015
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2021 SSA rank
#13,194
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Kiba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kiba from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 6 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kiba 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 Kiba 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 Kiba
The name Kiba has its origins in Japanese culture, deriving from the words 'ki' meaning 'tree' and 'ba' meaning 'leaf' or 'blade'. Historically, it was a name given to samurai warriors, symbolizing their strength and bravery as formidable as a mighty tree and their swords as sharp as a leaf's blade.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kiba can be found in the Heian period (794-1185 CE) Japanese literary work, The Tale of Genji. In this classic, a minor character bears the name, reflecting its use during that era.
The name Kiba gained prominence during the Sengoku period (1467-1615 CE), which was an era of near-constant military conflict in feudal Japan. Several notable samurai warriors carried this name, including Kiba Nobunaga (1534-1582), a renowned general who served under the powerful daimyo Oda Nobunaga.
Another historical figure named Kiba was the Buddhist monk Kiba Kosho (1687-1755), who was instrumental in spreading Zen Buddhism throughout Japan during the Edo period. His teachings and writings on Zen philosophy had a significant influence on the spiritual and cultural landscape of the time.
In the realm of literature, the name Kiba was borne by the Japanese novelist and playwright Kiba Naomi (1857-1940), whose works depicted the societal changes and modernization of Japan during the Meiji era.
During the early 20th century, Kiba Yoshitaka (1902-1974) was a prominent Japanese architect who played a key role in rebuilding and redesigning many cities after the devastation of World War II. His innovative and functional designs left a lasting impact on the country's urban landscapes.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who have carried the name Kiba, each contributing significantly to their respective fields and leaving a lasting legacy.
People
Kiba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kiba 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
Kiba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kiba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 11 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kiba 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 31,159,485 US residents.
Is Kiba a common name?
We classify Kiba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 30.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 11 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kiba most popular?
The single biggest year for Kiba was 2015, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kiba is about 8 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 Kiba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kiba a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kiba 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 Kiba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kiba 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 Kiba 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 common is the name Kiba?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Kiba at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.