Koufax
A masculine given name of uncertain origin, possibly from a Prussian surname.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Koufax. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Koufax today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Koufax births was 2021 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Koufax. 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 Koufax. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2021
6 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2021 SSA rank
#11,529
Tracked since 2021
Popularity
Koufax: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Koufax 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 Koufax 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 Koufax
The given name Koufax is a modern invention, likely derived from the surname of the famous American baseball player Sandy Koufax. Born Sanford Koufax in 1935 in Brooklyn, New York, he was a left-handed pitcher who played for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. Koufax was one of the most dominant pitchers in baseball history, winning three Cy Young Awards and helping the Dodgers win four World Series championships.
While the surname Koufax is of Jewish origin, likely derived from the Yiddish word "koyfax" meaning "merchant" or "shopkeeper," the first name Koufax itself does not have any known historical or linguistic roots. It is a relatively new name that gained popularity in the late 20th century, likely inspired by the fame and success of Sandy Koufax.
One of the earliest recorded instances of Koufax being used as a first name was in 1971, when American baseball player Koufax McReynolds was born. McReynolds played professional baseball in the minor leagues but never made it to the major leagues.
Another notable person named Koufax was Koufax Miller, an American professional wrestler who competed in the 1990s and 2000s. Miller was born in 1978 and adopted the ring name Koufax, likely as a tribute to Sandy Koufax.
In the world of literature, there is a character named Koufax Murphy in the novel "The House of Tomorrow" by Peter Bognanni, published in 2010. The character's name is likely a reference to both Sandy Koufax and the famous architect Buckminster Fuller.
While there are no ancient texts, religious scriptures, or historical records that mention the name Koufax, it has become a part of popular culture and has been used as a first name for various individuals, mostly in the United States, in recent decades. However, it remains a relatively uncommon name and does not have a long historical or cultural tradition behind it.
People
Koufax + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Koufax 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
Koufax: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Koufax?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Koufax 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 Koufax a common name?
We classify Koufax 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 Koufax most popular?
The single biggest year for Koufax was 2021, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Koufax is about 5 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 Koufax in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Koufax a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Koufax 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 Koufax still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Koufax 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 Koufax 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 Americans are named Koufax?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.