Uhuru
A feminine Swahili name meaning "freedom".
Name Census estimates that about 30 living Americans carry the first name Uhuru. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 84.8% of registrations being male. The average person named Uhuru today is around 54 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Uhuru births was 1972 (12 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Uhuru. 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 Uhuru. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
30
~ 1 in 11,425,145 Americans
Peak year
1972
12 babies that year
Average age
54
years old
1973 SSA rank
#4,480
Tracked since 1970
Gender
Gender distribution for Uhuru
Uhuru leans heavily male at 84.8% of total registrations, but 5 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Uhuru as a male name
- Ranked #4,480 in 1973
- 7 male births in 1973
- Peak: 1971 (9 births)
Uhuru as a female name
- Ranked #9,603 in 1972
- 5 female births in 1972
- Peak: 1972 (5 births)
Popularity
Uhuru: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Uhuru 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 Uhuru during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 28 | 5 | 33 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Uhuru
Uhuru is a Swahili name that originated in East Africa, particularly among the Bantu-speaking communities of Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. The name can be traced back to the late 19th century, derived from the Swahili word "uhuru," which means "freedom" or "independence."
The name gained significant prominence in the 20th century during the struggles for independence from colonial rule in various African nations. One of the most notable figures associated with this name is Jomo Kenyatta (1894-1978), the first Prime Minister and President of Kenya. He adopted the name "Uhuru" as a rallying cry for the Kenyan independence movement against British colonial rule.
Another historical figure with the name Uhuru is Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta (born 1961), the current President of Kenya and the son of Jomo Kenyatta. He has carried on the legacy of the name, which represents the aspirations of the Kenyan people for self-determination and freedom.
In Tanzania, the name Uhuru was also embraced during the country's independence struggle. One prominent individual with this name is Uhuru Mcheka (born in the mid-20th century), a Tanzanian politician and diplomat who served as the country's Minister of Foreign Affairs in the 1970s.
Beyond East Africa, the name Uhuru has also been adopted by individuals and organizations around the world as a symbol of liberation and emancipation. For example, Uhuru Solidarity Movement is a grassroots organization based in the United States that advocates for the rights of oppressed communities and promotes social justice.
Historically, the name Uhuru has been associated with various independence movements, political activism, and the struggle for freedom from oppression. It has become a powerful name that represents the resilience and determination of people fighting for their rights and self-governance.
People
Uhuru + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Uhuru as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with U
Other first names starting with U with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Uhuru: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Uhuru?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 30 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Uhuru 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 11,425,145 US residents.
Is Uhuru a common name?
We classify Uhuru as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 33 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Uhuru most popular?
The single biggest year for Uhuru was 1972, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Uhuru is about 54 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Uhuru a male name?
Yes, 84.8% of people registered as Uhuru 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.
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.