Kimba
A masculine name of Swahili origin, meaning "mighty warrior".
Name Census estimates that about 73 living Americans carry the first name Kimba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kimba today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kimba births was 1955 (8 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kimba. 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 Kimba. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
73
~ 1 in 4,695,265 Americans
Peak year
1955
8 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1984 SSA rank
#11,255
Tracked since 1955
Census
Kimba in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 248 people with the first name Kimba, which placed it at #33,395 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
#33,395
National first-name rank
People counted
248
248 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
42.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kimba
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kimba is Black at 42.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%). 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 Kimba 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 Kimba at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American42.7% · 106
- White37.1% · 92
- Asian and Pacific Islander11.3% · 28
- Hispanic or Latino5.2% · 13
- Two or more races2.0% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 4
Popularity
Kimba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kimba from the 1950s through to the 1980s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 40 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Kimba remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kimba 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 Kimba 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 Kimba
The name Kimba is a unique and intriguing one with a rich history that spans across different cultures and time periods. Its origins can be traced back to the African continent, specifically the Bantu languages spoken in various regions, including parts of Central and Southern Africa. One possible interpretation suggests that Kimba is derived from the word "kimbamba," which in certain Bantu dialects means "lion" or "powerful one."
In the early centuries, the name Kimba was predominantly found among various tribes and communities in Africa, particularly those with strong oral traditions and a deep connection to nature. It was often bestowed upon newborns as a symbol of strength, courage, and resilience, qualities that were highly revered in these societies.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kimba can be found in the oral histories and folklore of the Bakongo people, an ethnic group residing in parts of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo, Angola, and the Republic of the Congo. In these tales, Kimba was often depicted as a brave warrior or a respected leader, reflecting the significance and admiration associated with the name.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kimba. One such figure was Kimba Mutombo, a renowned artist and sculptor from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, who lived from 1925 to 2001. His intricate wood carvings and masks became iconic representations of traditional Congolese art and culture.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Kimba Camara, a legendary Malian griot (oral historian and storyteller) who lived during the 18th century. His vibrant narratives and poetic recitations played a crucial role in preserving the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the Mandinka people.
In the realm of sports, Kimba Walker, a professional basketball player from the United States, born in 1990, has made a significant impact on the court. His exceptional skills and determination have earned him recognition and admiration from fans and fellow athletes alike.
Additionally, Kimba Idrissa, a celebrated Nigerien author and poet born in 1948, gained recognition for his thought-provoking works that explored themes of identity, culture, and social issues. His literary contributions have left an indelible mark on the literary landscape of West Africa.
The name Kimba has also found its way into popular culture, particularly in the world of animation. The beloved Japanese manga and anime series "Kimba the White Lion," created by Osamu Tezuka in the 1960s, featured a courageous lion cub named Kimba as the protagonist, further solidifying the name's association with strength and bravery.
People
Kimba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kimba 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
Kimba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kimba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 73 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kimba 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 4,695,265 US residents.
Is Kimba a common name?
We classify Kimba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 60% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 85 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kimba most popular?
The single biggest year for Kimba was 1955, when 8 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kimba is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kimba in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 248 people with the name Kimba, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,395 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 Kimba 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 Kimba?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kimba leans strongly female. 194 people counted with this name were female (83.3%), compared with 39 male bearers (16.7%). 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 Kimba?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kimba is Black at 42.7%. The next largest groups are White (37.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (11.3%). 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 Kimba most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kimba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 42.7% (106 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 Kimba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kimba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kimba 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 Kimba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kimba 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 Kimba 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 Kimba?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.