Kwana
Of African origin, a feminine name signifying "beautiful child".
Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the first name Kwana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kwana today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kwana births was 1976 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kwana. 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
144
~ 1 in 2,380,238 Americans
Peak year
1976
16 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1994 SSA rank
#14,637
Tracked since 1970
Census
Kwana in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 165 people with the first name Kwana, which placed it at #43,061 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
#43,061
National first-name rank
People counted
165
165 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
88.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kwana
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kwana is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kwana 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 Kwana at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American88.5% · 146
- White5.5% · 9
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.4% · 4
- Two or more races1.2% · 2
Popularity
Kwana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kwana from the 1970s through to the 1990s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 96 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
Kwana 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 Kwana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kwanas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kwana
The name Kwana originates from the Zulu language spoken by the Zulu people of Southern Africa, particularly in the present-day KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. It is believed to have been in use since the 16th century, when the Zulu kingdom was established under the leadership of King Shaka Zulu.
Kwana is derived from the Zulu word "ukwana," which means "to be equal" or "to be the same." It carries a connotation of unity, equality, and balance. The name may have been given to children born during times of peace and harmony within the community or to symbolize the desire for equality and unity among the people.
While there are no known historical references to the name Kwana in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it has been recorded in various Zulu oral traditions and histories passed down through generations.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kwana dates back to the late 18th century. Kwana kaNdaba was a Zulu warrior and advisor to King Shaka Zulu, known for his bravery and strategic thinking on the battlefield. He played a crucial role in the expansion of the Zulu kingdom during Shaka's reign (1816-1828).
Another notable figure with the name Kwana was Kwana Maseko (1857-1933), a Zulu chief and diplomat who served as an advisor to the British colonial government in Natal. He was instrumental in negotiating land rights and advocating for the interests of the Zulu people during a period of significant political and social change.
In the 20th century, Kwana Gqwala (1924-2008) was a South African educator and activist who fought against the apartheid regime. She was a member of the African National Congress (ANC) and worked tirelessly to promote education and social justice for Black South Africans.
Kwana Nkosi (born 1950) is a contemporary South African artist known for her vibrant paintings and sculptures that celebrate Zulu culture and traditions. Her work has been exhibited internationally and is celebrated for its vibrant colors and intricate patterns.
Kwana Jack (born 1988) is a professional rugby player from South Africa who has represented the Springboks, the national rugby team, in international competitions. He is renowned for his powerful and dynamic style of play on the field.
People
Kwana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kwana 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
Kwana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kwana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 144 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kwana 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 2,380,238 US residents.
Is Kwana a common name?
We classify Kwana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 157 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kwana most popular?
The single biggest year for Kwana was 1976, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kwana is about 47 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kwana in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 165 people with the name Kwana, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #43,061 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 Kwana 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 Kwana?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kwana leans strongly female. 152 people counted with this name were female (94.4%), compared with 9 male bearers (5.6%). 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 Kwana?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kwana is Black at 88.5%. The next largest groups are White (5.5%) and Hispanic (2.4%). 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 Kwana most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kwana in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.5% (146 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 Kwana in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kwana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kwana 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 Kwana still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kwana 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 Kwana 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 share the name Kwana?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.