2000
#21,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,147
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.43
Rare Last name
Kaba
A Hungarian surname derived from the word for a type of medieval gate or door.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,993 Americans carry the last name Kaba. That puts it at #11,529 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,519 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kaba surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Kaba with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,519
Census rank
#11,529
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,610 bearers of the surname Kaba in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11529th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaba, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.6%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kaba
The surname KABA is believed to have its origins in West Africa, specifically in the region that is now modern-day Ghana. It is thought to have emerged in the late 15th or early 16th century, during the period when the powerful Akan Empire was at its peak. The name is derived from the Akan word "kaba," which means "wanderer" or "stranger," suggesting that the original bearers of this name may have been travelers or immigrants to the region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the KABA surname can be found in a collection of oral histories and genealogies compiled by Akan elders in the 17th century. These records mention a prominent family in the Ashanti Kingdom whose members bore the name KABA. It is believed that this family played a significant role in the region's cultural and political affairs during that time.
As the Akan Empire expanded its influence across West Africa, the KABA name likely spread to other territories and regions. In the 18th century, there are records of individuals with the KABA surname living in the coastal regions of modern-day Ivory Coast and Liberia, which were then under the control of various Akan kingdoms.
One notable figure in the history of the KABA name was Kwame KABA, a respected Akan chief who lived in the late 18th century. He was renowned for his wisdom and leadership skills, and his name is still invoked in traditional Akan proverbs and folklore. Another prominent individual was Akua KABA, a skilled weaver and trader who lived in the 19th century and was known for her entrepreneurial spirit and business acumen.
As European colonization and the transatlantic slave trade reshaped the demographics of West Africa, the KABA surname also found its way to the Americas and the Caribbean. In the late 18th and early 19th centuries, there are records of individuals with the KABA surname living in the French Caribbean colonies, as well as in the United States and Brazil.
One notable figure from this period was Kwesi KABA, a former slave who became a successful merchant and landowner in Jamaica in the early 19th century. His life story and achievements were documented in a memoir published in 1832. Another individual of note was Ama KABA, a renowned storyteller and oral historian who lived in the late 19th century and was instrumental in preserving the cultural traditions and histories of the Akan people in the face of colonialism.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaba
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaba, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.6%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kaba bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Kaba surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American75.6% · 1,973
- White16.1% · 420
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 90
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 67
- Two or more races2.2% · 57
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kaba
Kaba appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#14,870
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,991
+844 bearers (+73.6%)
Per 100,000 0.67
Rank movement Up 6,425 places
2020
#11,529
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,610
+619 bearers (+31.1%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 3,341 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #21,295 | 1,147 | 0.43 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,870 | 1,991 | 0.67 | +844 bearers (+73.6%) | Up 6,425 places |
| 2020 | #11,529 | 2,610 | 0.87 | +619 bearers (+31.1%) | Up 3,341 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Kaba surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #14,870 | #11,529 | 22.5% |
| Count | 1,991 | 2,610 | 31.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.67 | 0.87 | 30.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kaba bearers went from 1,991 to 2,610 (+31.1% change). The surname moved up 3,341 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,870 to #11,529.
FAQ
Kaba surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kaba?
Name Census estimates that about 2,993 living Americans carry the surname Kaba. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,519 residents.
How common is Kaba?
Kaba ranks #11,529 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,610 people with the surname Kaba. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,993), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Kaba.
Has Kaba become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kaba went from 1,991 recorded bearers to 2,610. That is an increase of 619 (+31.1%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,870 to #11,529.
What does the Census say about the background of Kaba?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kaba, the largest self-reported group is Black at 75.6%. The next largest groups are White (16.1%) and Hispanic (3.4%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kaba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.6% (1,973 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kaba appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (75.6%), White (16.1%), Hispanic (3.4%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Kaba (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Kaba mean?
A Hungarian surname derived from the word for a type of medieval gate or door. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Kaba (0.87 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Kaba?
If you just want to know how many Americans have the surname Kaba, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.