Kujtim
An Albanian name meaning "memory" or "remembrance".
Name Census estimates that about 15 living Americans carry the first name Kujtim. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kujtim today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kujtim births was 1995 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kujtim. 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 Kujtim. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
15
~ 1 in 22,850,289 Americans
Peak year
1995
6 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
1995 SSA rank
#8,405
Tracked since 1978
Census
Kujtim in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 307 people with the first name Kujtim, which placed it at #29,019 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
#29,019
National first-name rank
People counted
307
307 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
98.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kujtim
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kujtim is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.3%) and Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Kujtim 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 Kujtim at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White98.0% · 301
- Black or African American1.3% · 4
- Hispanic or Latino0.7% · 2
Popularity
Kujtim: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kujtim from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 11 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kujtim 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 Kujtim during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kujtims live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kujtim
The given name Kujtim has its origins in the Albanian language. It is derived from the Albanian verb "kujtoj" which means "to remember" or "to recall." The name, therefore, carries the meaning of "remembrance" or "memory."
In Albanian culture, names often carry deep significance, reflecting values, aspirations, or virtues. The name Kujtim reflects the importance placed on preserving memories, honoring traditions, and keeping connections to one's roots and heritage alive.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kujtim dates back to the early 20th century, a time when Albania was emerging from centuries of Ottoman rule and asserting its national identity. It is likely that the name gained popularity as a way to celebrate and honor the country's rich cultural heritage and historical struggles.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Kujtim was Kujtim Buzhala, an Albanian writer and journalist born in 1925. He played a significant role in documenting and preserving Albanian literature and folklore during a period of political turmoil.
Another notable figure named Kujtim was Kujtim Cashku, a renowned Albanian film director and screenwriter born in 1942. His works, such as "Tomka dhe shokët e tij" (Tomka and His Friends) and "Ngushëllimi i vdekurit" (The Comfort of the Dead), explored themes of cultural identity and societal change in post-communist Albania.
In the world of sports, Kujtim Shala, an Albanian footballer born in 1975, made his mark as a striker for various clubs in Albania and abroad. He was a part of the Albanian national team and represented his country in international competitions.
Kujtim Shalsi, born in 1948, was an influential Albanian politician and diplomat. He served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania from 1997 to 2001 and played a crucial role in strengthening Albania's ties with the international community during a period of transition and reform.
The name Kujtim has also been found in historical records from the Ottoman period, though its usage was likely limited at that time. As Albania gained independence and embraced its cultural identity, the name gained wider popularity, reflecting the country's desire to preserve its heritage and collective memory.
While the name Kujtim is primarily associated with Albanian culture, it has also been adopted by individuals of Albanian descent living in other countries, serving as a connection to their ancestral roots and a reminder of the importance of preserving one's cultural identity.
People
Kujtim + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kujtim 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
Kujtim: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kujtim?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 15 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kujtim 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 22,850,289 US residents.
Is Kujtim a common name?
We classify Kujtim as "Very Rare". It ranks above 35.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 16 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kujtim most popular?
The single biggest year for Kujtim was 1995, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kujtim is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kujtim in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 307 people with the name Kujtim, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #29,019 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 Kujtim 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 Kujtim?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kujtim leans strongly male. 305 people counted with this name were male (98.7%), compared with 4 female bearers (1.3%). 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 Kujtim?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kujtim is White at 98.0%. The next largest groups are Black (1.3%) and Hispanic (0.7%). 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 Kujtim most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kujtim in the 2020 Census, accounting for 98.0% (301 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 Kujtim in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kujtim a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kujtim 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 Kujtim still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kujtim 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 Kujtim 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 Kujtim?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.