Kava last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Kava is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kava.

Meaning of Kava

A surname derived from the Kava plant, a sedative beverage originating in the Pacific islands.

Kava, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kava surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kava in America

Kava is the 46647th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kava surname appeared 456 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kava.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kava to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 46647 56392 -18.92%
Count 456 339 29.43%
Proportion per 100k 0.15 0.13 14.29%

The history of the last name Kava

The surname KAVA is believed to have originated from the Czech Republic and Slovakia, where it likely derived from the Slavic word "kava," meaning a small evergreen tree or shrub. This surname is thought to have emerged sometime during the Middle Ages, possibly as early as the 11th or 12th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the KAVA surname can be found in a Czech village records from the late 15th century, where a farmer named Jakub KAVA was mentioned. It's possible that this individual or his ancestors adopted the surname due to their association with the cultivation or trade of the evergreen shrub.

In the 16th century, there are records of a nobleman named Jan KAVA, who owned lands in the region of Moravia, now part of the Czech Republic. This suggests that the KAVA surname had gained some prominence during that time period.

Notable individuals with the KAVA surname include the 17th-century Czech scholar and philosopher, Jan Amos KAVA (1592-1670), who made significant contributions to the fields of education and philosophy during the Baroque era.

Another prominent figure was Karel KAVA (1861-1927), a Czech painter and illustrator renowned for his depictions of rural life and landscapes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In the realm of literature, the Czech writer and playwright, Jaroslav KAVA (1880-1951), gained recognition for his plays and novels that explored themes of social injustice and the struggles of the working class.

Moving to more recent times, Antonín KAVA (1922-2008) was a respected Czech composer and music educator who left a lasting impact on the country's musical landscape through his numerous compositions and teachings.

Lastly, it's worth mentioning that variations of the KAVA surname, such as KAVKA or KAVACKÝ, have also been documented in historical records, suggesting potential connections or origins from different regions within the Czech and Slovak territories.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kava

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kava.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kava was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 71.71% 327
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 15.35% 70
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 6.58% 30
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 3.95% 18

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kava has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 71.71% 72.27% -0.78%
Black (S)% 2.36% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 15.35% 14.45% 6.04%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 6.58% 4.72% 32.92%
Two or More Races (S)% 3.54% (S)%
Hispanic 3.95% 2.65% 39.39%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kava was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kava, please contact us.

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If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Kava last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on September 7, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/kava-surname-popularity/.

"Kava last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/kava-surname-popularity/. Accessed 7 September, 2025

Kava last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/kava-surname-popularity/.

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