Kweli
A masculine name of Swahili origin meaning "truth" or "reality".
Name Census estimates that about 235 living Americans carry the first name Kweli. It is a predominantly male name (95.4% of registrations). The average person named Kweli today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kweli births was 2003 (34 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kweli. 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
235
~ 1 in 1,458,529 Americans
Peak year
2003
34 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,562
Tracked since 1974
Census
Kweli in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 260 people with the first name Kweli, which placed it at #32,383 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
#32,383
National first-name rank
People counted
260
260 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
81.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kweli
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kweli is Black at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and White (4.2%). 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 Kweli 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 Kweli at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American81.9% · 213
- Two or more races9.6% · 25
- White4.2% · 11
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 9
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Kweli
Kweli leans heavily male at 95.4% of total registrations, but 11 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kweli as a male name
- Ranked #13,317 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2003 (34 births)
Kweli as a female name
- Ranked #10,562 in 1978
- 5 female births in 1978
- Peak: 1974 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kweli on both sides of the split. Of the 265 people counted with this name, 210 were male (79.2%) and 55 were female (20.8%).
Popularity
Kweli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kweli from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 149 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kweli 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 Kweli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kwelis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kweli
The name Kweli originates from the Swahili language, which is spoken by various ethnic groups in East Africa, particularly in countries like Tanzania, Kenya, and Uganda. The name Kweli is derived from the Swahili word "kweli" itself, which means "truth" or "truthful."
In Swahili culture, names often carry significant meanings and are chosen with great care. The name Kweli is believed to have been given to individuals who were considered honest, trustworthy, and truthful in their words and actions. It was a name that reflected the virtue of honesty and the importance of upholding truth in one's life.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kweli can be traced back to the 19th century, during the height of the Swahili trade and cultural exchange along the East African coast. However, its usage may have been more widespread among various Swahili-speaking communities in the region for centuries before that.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Kweli was Kweli bin Habibu, a Swahili trader and explorer who lived in the late 18th century. He was renowned for his extensive travels and his efforts in establishing trade routes between the East African coast and the interior regions.
Another notable figure was Kweli Mshindo, a Swahili poet and philosopher who lived in the early 19th century. He was known for his insightful and thought-provoking works that explored the nature of truth, wisdom, and the human condition. His poetry and writings were widely celebrated and influential in the Swahili literary tradition.
In the realm of politics, Kweli Mbwana was a prominent Swahili leader and diplomat who lived in the late 19th century. He played a significant role in negotiating treaties and fostering relationships between the Swahili city-states and the colonial powers that were expanding their influence in the region during that time.
Kweli Mussa, a Swahili explorer and trader, was also a notable figure in the 19th century. He is credited with establishing trade routes and fostering cultural exchange between East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, contributing to the spread of Swahili culture and language.
In more recent times, Kweli Mwanafunzi was a renowned Swahili scholar and educator who lived in the 20th century. He dedicated his life to preserving and promoting the Swahili language and culture, authoring numerous books and works that have become essential references for students and researchers alike.
These are just a few examples of individuals who have carried the name Kweli throughout history, reflecting the significance and cultural value attached to this name in the Swahili-speaking regions of East Africa.
People
Kweli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kweli 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
Kweli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kweli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 235 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kweli 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 1,458,529 US residents.
Is Kweli a common name?
We classify Kweli as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 239 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kweli most popular?
The single biggest year for Kweli was 2003, when 34 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kweli is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kweli in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 260 people with the name Kweli, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #32,383 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 Kweli 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 Kweli?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kweli on both sides of the split. Of the 265 people counted with this name, 210 were male (79.2%) and 55 were female (20.8%). 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 Kweli?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kweli is Black at 81.9%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.6%) and White (4.2%). 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 Kweli most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kweli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.9% (213 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 Kweli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kweli a male name?
Yes, 95.4% of people registered as Kweli 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 Kweli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kweli 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 Kweli 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 Kweli?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.