Kimiko
A Japanese name meaning "one who is blessed with nobility".
Name Census estimates that about 1,284 living Americans carry the first name Kimiko. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kimiko today is around 32 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kimiko births was 1981 (80 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kimiko. 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
1.3K
~ 1 in 266,943 Americans
Peak year
1981
80 babies that year
Average age
32
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,598
Tracked since 1909
Popularity
Kimiko: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kimiko from the 1900s through to the 2020s, spanning 13 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 336 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1980s peak, Kimiko remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kimiko 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 Kimiko during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kimikos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Hawaii, Texas recorded the most babies named Kimiko, while North Carolina, Illinois, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 119 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kimiko
Kimiko is a feminine Japanese given name with origins dating back to the 8th century. The name is composed of two kanji characters: "ki" meaning "tree" or "wood," and "ko" meaning "child." The combination of these characters suggests a meaning along the lines of "child of the trees" or "child amongst the trees."
During the Nara and Heian periods in Japan, from the 8th to the 12th century, the name Kimiko appeared in various literary works and historical records. It was a name often given to girls born into noble or aristocratic families, reflecting a connection with nature and the natural world.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Kimiko was a court lady who served the Empress Shōtoku in the late 8th century. Kimiko was renowned for her calligraphy skills and contributed to the preservation of classical Japanese literature and poetry.
In the 12th century, there are records of a Buddhist nun named Kimiko who was highly regarded for her spiritual teachings and philosophical writings. Her works have been preserved and studied by scholars for centuries.
During the Edo period, from the 17th to the 19th century, the name Kimiko became more widespread among commoners and the merchant class. One notable figure was Kimiko Ishikawa, a skilled artist and woodblock print maker who lived in the late 18th century.
In the 20th century, the name Kimiko gained international recognition through the works of the renowned author Kimiko Tanaka, who was born in 1932. Her novels and short stories exploring themes of identity, culture, and family resonated with readers worldwide.
Another prominent individual with the name Kimiko was the Japanese-American dancer and choreographer Kimiko Gelman, who was born in 1914. She played a significant role in introducing traditional Japanese dance forms to audiences in the United States.
Throughout its long history, the name Kimiko has been associated with artistic and creative pursuits, as well as a deep connection to nature and spiritual exploration. While its popularity has fluctuated over time, it remains a beloved and meaningful name in Japanese culture.
People
Kimiko + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kimiko 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
Kimiko: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kimiko?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,284 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kimiko 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 266,943 US residents.
Is Kimiko a common name?
We classify Kimiko as "Rare". It ranks above 91.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,826 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kimiko most popular?
The single biggest year for Kimiko was 1981, when 80 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kimiko is about 32 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kimiko a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kimiko 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.
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.