Kismet
An Arabic name meaning "fate" or "destiny."
Name Census estimates that about 173 living Americans carry the first name Kismet. It is a predominantly female name (96.9% of registrations). The average person named Kismet today is around 40 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kismet births was 1973 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kismet. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kismet with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
173
~ 1 in 1,981,239 Americans
Peak year
1973
13 babies that year
Average age
40
years old
2017 SSA rank
#11,553
Tracked since 1955
Census
Kismet in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 303 people with the first name Kismet, which placed it at #29,290 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
#29,290
National first-name rank
People counted
303
303 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
38.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kismet
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kismet is White at 38.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (11.2%). 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 Kismet 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 Kismet at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White38.9% · 118
- Black or African American30.4% · 92
- Two or more races11.2% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander9.9% · 30
- Hispanic or Latino8.3% · 25
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 4
Gender
Gender distribution for Kismet
Kismet leans heavily female at 96.9% of total registrations, but 6 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kismet as a male name
- Ranked #11,553 in 2017
- 6 male births in 2017
- Peak: 2017 (6 births)
Kismet as a female name
- Ranked #16,493 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1973 (13 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kismet leans strongly female. 273 people counted with this name were female (88.6%), compared with 35 male bearers (11.4%).
Popularity
Kismet: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kismet from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 65 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kismet 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 Kismet 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 Kismet
The name Kismet originates from the Arabic language and has its roots in the word "qismat," which means "portion" or "share." It is believed to have entered the English language in the 18th century through Turkish and Persian influences.
Kismet is often associated with the concept of fate or destiny, representing the idea that events in one's life are predetermined or influenced by a higher power. The name gained popularity in the Western world through its usage in literature and art, particularly in works that explored themes of Eastern mysticism and philosophy.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kismet can be found in the epic Persian poem "Shahnameh" (Book of Kings), written by the renowned poet Ferdowsi in the late 10th century. In this epic, the term "kismat" is used to refer to the predetermined fate or destiny of various characters.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kismet. One such figure is Kismet Munir (1924-2018), a Pakistani writer and poet known for her contributions to Urdu literature. Another is Kismet Pranjali (1920-2005), an Indian classical dancer and choreographer who played a significant role in promoting and preserving the traditional dance forms of India.
In the realm of entertainment, Kismet El Sibaï (born 1968) is a prominent Egyptian actress and singer who has appeared in numerous films and television shows. Additionally, Kismet Nuñez (born 1976) is a Puerto Rican actress and model known for her roles in various American television series.
It is worth mentioning that the name Kismet also gained widespread recognition through the 1953 Broadway musical of the same name, which was set in a fictionalized version of Baghdad. The musical, with music and lyrics by Robert Wright and George Forrest, was a critical and commercial success and contributed to the popularization of the name in Western culture.
Overall, the name Kismet carries a rich cultural heritage and has been imbued with deep philosophical and artistic significance throughout its long history. Its association with fate and destiny has made it a captivating choice for individuals across various cultures and time periods.
People
Kismet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kismet 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
Kismet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kismet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 173 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kismet 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 1,981,239 US residents.
Is Kismet a common name?
We classify Kismet as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 192 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kismet most popular?
The single biggest year for Kismet was 1973, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kismet is about 40 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kismet in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 303 people with the name Kismet, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,290 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 Kismet 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 Kismet?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kismet leans strongly female. 273 people counted with this name were female (88.6%), compared with 35 male bearers (11.4%). 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 Kismet?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kismet is White at 38.9%. The next largest groups are Black (30.4%) and Two or More Races (11.2%). 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 Kismet most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kismet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.9% (118 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 Kismet in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kismet a female name?
Yes, 96.9% of people registered as Kismet 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 Kismet still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kismet 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 Kismet 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 common is the name Kismet?
See how many Americans are named Kismet on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.