Kikuyo
A Japanese feminine name meaning "floating chrysanthemum" or "happily venturing maiden".
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Kikuyo. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kikuyo today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kikuyo births was 1919 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kikuyo. 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 Kikuyo. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1919
8 babies that year
Average age
-
1923 SSA rank
#5,338
Tracked since 1904
Popularity
Kikuyo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kikuyo from the 1900s through to the 1920s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 15 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1910s peak, Kikuyo remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kikuyo 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 Kikuyo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kikuyos live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kikuyo
The name Kikuyo is of Japanese origin, originating from the word "kikuyo" which means "chrysanthemum" in Japanese. The chrysanthemum is a highly symbolic flower in Japan, often representing longevity, rejuvenation, and the imperial family.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kikuyo dates back to the Heian period (794-1185 CE) in Japan. During this time, it was common for Japanese nobles and aristocrats to take names inspired by nature, particularly flowers and plants. The name Kikuyo would have been given to girls born into these noble families, reflecting the cultural significance of the chrysanthemum.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kikuyo was Kikuyo no Tsubone, a court lady who served under Emperor Go-Toba in the late 12th century. She was known for her skills in poetry and calligraphy, and her writings were included in the imperial anthology "Shokukokin Wakashū."
Another notable figure named Kikuyo was Kikuyo Zenzaburo, a Japanese samurai and warrior who lived during the Sengoku period (1467-1603 CE). He was known for his loyalty and bravery in battle, serving under the powerful Tokugawa clan.
In the realm of Japanese art, Kikuyo Tsumori was a renowned potter and ceramist from the Edo period (1603-1868 CE). Her intricate and delicate pottery pieces were highly prized by collectors and are now considered treasures of Japanese cultural heritage.
Moving to more modern times, Kikuyo Machida (1913-2006) was a prominent Japanese painter and printmaker who was celebrated for her vibrant depictions of traditional Japanese subjects, such as geisha and landscapes.
Lastly, Kikuyo Zoku (1892-1944) was a Japanese novelist and poet who gained recognition for her poignant works exploring themes of love, loss, and the human condition. Her novel "Onna no Isshō" (A Woman's Life) is considered a classic of modern Japanese literature.
People
Kikuyo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kikuyo 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
Kikuyo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kikuyo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kikuyo 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 - US residents.
Is Kikuyo a common name?
We classify Kikuyo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 31 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kikuyo most popular?
The single biggest year for Kikuyo was 1919, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kikuyo is about 0 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 Kikuyo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kikuyo a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kikuyo 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 Kikuyo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kikuyo 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 Kikuyo 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 Kikuyo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.