2010
#148,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 111
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Kiaha
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "a wild plant" or "shrub".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 120 Americans carry the last name Kiaha. That puts it at #152,989 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,856,286 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Kiaha 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.
Bearers in the US
120
1 in 2,856,286
Census rank
#152,989
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
105
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 105 bearers of the surname Kiaha in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152989th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiaha, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.8%) and White (12.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Kiaha
The surname Kiaha is thought to have originated in the Malindi region of Kenya, on the East African coast. It is believed to be derived from the Mijikenda language spoken by the Giriama people of that area. The name Kiaha is thought to mean "the strong one" or "the brave one" in Mijikenda.
The earliest known recorded instances of the name Kiaha date back to the late 16th century. It appears in several historical records and manuscripts from villages and settlements along the Kenyan coast during that time period. One notable early reference is in a Portuguese colonial document from 1592, which mentions a local chief named Kiaha who ruled over a coastal settlement.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the name Kiaha began to spread beyond its original coastal region as the Giriama people migrated inland. It can be found in various regional records and accounts from that era, often referring to prominent local figures or landowners. A well-known example is Kiaha wa Mwambi, a respected elder and leader of the Giriama community in the late 1700s.
Several place names in Kenya are thought to have originated from or been influenced by the surname Kiaha. This includes the village of Kiahaoni, located in the Kilifi County region, which was likely named after an early settler or landowner with the Kiaha name.
While not a common surname globally, the name Kiaha has been carried by several notable individuals throughout history. These include Kiaha Ngala, a celebrated Giriama poet and storyteller from the early 20th century, and Kiaha Mwamwere, a Kenyan politician and human rights activist born in 1948.
Other historical figures with the Kiaha surname include Mwalimu Kiaha (1910-1992), a respected Kenyan educator and headmaster, and Bwana Kiaha (1879-1965), a renowned Giriama farmer and landowner in the early 20th century. Additionally, there are records of a Kiaha Mwagandi, who was a prominent Giriama elder and leader in the mid-19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kiaha
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiaha, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.8%) and White (12.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Kiaha 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 Kiaha surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander55.2% · 58
- Two or more races24.8% · 26
- White12.4% · 13
- Hispanic or Latino7.6% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Kiaha
Kiaha appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#152,989
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
-6 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,642 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #148,347 | 111 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #152,989 | 105 | 0.04 | -6 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 4,642 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 Kiaha 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 | #148,347 | #152,989 | -3.1% |
| Count | 111 | 105 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Kiaha bearers went from 111 to 105 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 4,642 positions in the national ranking, going from #148,347 to #152,989.
FAQ
Kiaha surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Kiaha?
Name Census estimates that about 120 living Americans carry the surname Kiaha. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,856,286 residents.
How common is Kiaha?
Kiaha ranks #152,989 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 105 people with the surname Kiaha. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Kiaha.
Has Kiaha become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Kiaha went from 111 recorded bearers to 105. That is a decrease of 6 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #148,347 to #152,989.
What does the Census say about the background of Kiaha?
Among Census respondents with the surname Kiaha, the largest self-reported group is Asian/Pacific Islander at 55.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (24.8%) and White (12.4%). 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?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest self-reported group for the surname Kiaha in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.2% (58 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Kiaha appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Asian/Pacific Islander (55.2%), Two or More Races (24.8%), White (12.4%). 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 Kiaha (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 Kiaha mean?
A surname of Arabic origin meaning "a wild plant" or "shrub". 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 Kiaha (0.04 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 many Americans have the surname Kiaha?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.