Kobra
A feminine name derived from the word for snake or serpent.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Kobra. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kobra today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kobra births was 2022 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kobra. 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 Kobra. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2022
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#11,660
Tracked since 2022
Census
Kobra in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 378 people with the first name Kobra, which placed it at #25,170 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
#25,170
National first-name rank
People counted
378
378 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
68.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kobra
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kobra is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.7%). 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 Kobra 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 Kobra at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White68.5% · 259
- Two or more races15.9% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander12.7% · 48
- Black or African American1.9% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino1.1% · 4
Popularity
Kobra: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kobra 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 Kobra during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kobra
The name Kobra is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit word 'Kubera,' which means the God of wealth and prosperity in Hindu mythology. The name is thought to have its roots in ancient India, dating back to the Vedic period (c. 1500–500 BCE).
One of the earliest known references to the name Kobra can be found in the Hindu epic 'Mahabharata,' where Kubera is mentioned as the lord of wealth and the regent of the north. In some Buddhist traditions, Kubera is also revered as a guardian deity, often depicted as a dwarf-like figure carrying a club and a money bag.
The name Kobra gained popularity across various regions of the Indian subcontinent and was later adopted by other cultures, particularly in Southeast Asia. In Thai culture, the name is spelled as 'Kobra' and is often associated with wealth, prosperity, and good fortune.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kobra can be traced back to the 6th century CE, when a Buddhist monk named Kobra Tathagata is mentioned in several historical texts. He was renowned for his teachings and contributions to the spread of Buddhism in the region.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kobra. One such figure was Kobra Devi (1858-1924), a prominent Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who played a significant role in the Indian independence movement against British colonial rule.
Another prominent bearer of the name was Kobra Singh (1670-1716), a Rajput warrior and military leader from the Maratha Empire. He was known for his bravery and strategic prowess in battles against the Mughal Empire.
In the realm of literature, Kobra Kapur (1905-1973) was a renowned Indian novelist and short story writer. Her works explored themes of social injustice, feminism, and the complexities of human relationships, earning her critical acclaim and numerous literary awards.
The name Kobra has also been associated with individuals in the field of arts and culture. Kobra Bai (1925-1989) was a celebrated Indian classical dancer and choreographer, who made significant contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Indian dance forms.
Lastly, Kobra Bhatt (1932-2003) was a renowned Indian architect and urban planner. He was instrumental in the development of several iconic buildings and urban landscapes in India, including the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi.
People
Kobra + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kobra 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
Kobra: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kobra?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kobra 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Kobra a common name?
We classify Kobra as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kobra most popular?
The single biggest year for Kobra was 2022, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kobra is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kobra in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 378 people with the name Kobra, or 0.13 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #25,170 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 Kobra 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 Kobra?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kobra leans strongly female. 359 people counted with this name were female (95.7%), compared with 16 male bearers (4.3%). 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 Kobra?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kobra is White at 68.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (15.9%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (12.7%). 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 Kobra most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kobra in the 2020 Census, accounting for 68.5% (259 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 Kobra in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kobra a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kobra 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 Kobra still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kobra 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 Kobra 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 named Kobra?
Find out how many Americans are named Kobra on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.