Kyonna
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly derived from Kyona.
Name Census estimates that about 447 living Americans carry the first name Kyonna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kyonna today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kyonna births was 1999 (21 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kyonna. 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
447
~ 1 in 766,788 Americans
Peak year
1999
21 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,818
Tracked since 1977
Census
Kyonna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 334 people with the first name Kyonna, which placed it at #27,416 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
#27,416
National first-name rank
People counted
334
334 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
78.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyonna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyonna is Black at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and White (5.7%). 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 Kyonna 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 Kyonna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American78.4% · 262
- Two or more races9.9% · 33
- White5.7% · 19
- Hispanic or Latino4.2% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 5
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Kyonna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kyonna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 160 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
Kyonna 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 Kyonna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kyonna
The given name Kyonna has its origins in the Kikuyu language spoken by the Kikuyu people of Kenya. It is believed to have derived from the Kikuyu word "kiondo," which means "basket." The name first emerged in the Murang'a region of Kenya in the early 19th century.
Historically, the name was associated with the traditional art of basket weaving, which held significant cultural significance for the Kikuyu people. It was common for Kikuyu parents to name their daughters Kyonna as a tribute to this ancient craft and a way to preserve their cultural heritage.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kyonna can be found in the writings of British explorer and missionary Johann Ludwig Krapf, who lived among the Kikuyu people in the mid-19th century. Krapf documented various Kikuyu names and their meanings in his work, including Kyonna.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the name Kyonna. One such person was Kyonna wa Thiongo (1845-1923), a revered Kikuyu elder and storyteller who played a crucial role in preserving the oral traditions and folklore of her people.
Another prominent figure was Kyonna Wamwere (1920-2003), a Kenyan activist and politician who fought for women's rights and advocated for educational opportunities for girls in her community.
In the realm of literature, Kyonna Ngũgĩ (1938-present) is a celebrated Kenyan writer and scholar who has written extensively on issues of colonialism, decolonization, and African identity. Her works have been widely translated and acclaimed internationally.
Moving to the arts, Kyonna Wambui (1950-2018) was a renowned Kenyan sculptor and ceramist whose works were heavily influenced by her Kikuyu heritage. Her sculptures are celebrated for their intricate detail and representation of traditional African culture.
Lastly, Kyonna Nyambura (1975-present) is a contemporary Kenyan musician and singer who has gained popularity for her fusion of traditional Kikuyu rhythms with modern music genres. Her music has been instrumental in preserving and promoting the rich musical heritage of her people.
People
Kyonna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kyonna 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
Kyonna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kyonna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 447 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kyonna 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 766,788 US residents.
Is Kyonna a common name?
We classify Kyonna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 457 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kyonna most popular?
The single biggest year for Kyonna was 1999, when 21 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kyonna is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kyonna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 334 people with the name Kyonna, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,416 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 Kyonna 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 Kyonna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kyonna appears almost entirely female. Of the 330 people counted with this name, 100.0% were female and only a very small share were male. 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 Kyonna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyonna is Black at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (9.9%) and White (5.7%). 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 Kyonna most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kyonna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (262 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 Kyonna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kyonna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kyonna 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 Kyonna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kyonna 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 Kyonna 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 have the name Kyonna?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.