Coumba
An African name of Senegalese or Gambian origin meaning "girl born on Wednesday".
Name Census estimates that about 212 living Americans carry the first name Coumba. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Coumba today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Coumba births was 2014 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Coumba. 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
212
~ 1 in 1,616,766 Americans
Peak year
2014
15 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,664
Tracked since 1999
Census
Coumba in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 332 people with the first name Coumba, which placed it at #27,518 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
#27,518
National first-name rank
People counted
332
332 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
95.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Coumba
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Coumba is Black at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Coumba 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 Coumba at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American95.5% · 317
- White1.8% · 6
- Two or more races1.8% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.6% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Popularity
Coumba: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Coumba from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 86 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Coumba remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Coumba 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 Coumba during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Coumbas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Coumba
The name Coumba originates from the Wolof language spoken in Senegal, West Africa. It is derived from the word "kumba," which means "woman" or "young girl" in Wolof. The Wolof people are an ethnic group predominantly found in Senegal, Gambia, and Mauritania, with a long and rich cultural history dating back several centuries.
Coumba is a traditional Wolof name that has been used for generations within the Wolof community. It is believed to have its roots in the pre-colonial era, before the arrival of European influences in the region. The name carries a sense of respect and admiration for the feminine spirit, celebrating the strength and resilience of Wolof women.
Early records of the name Coumba can be found in oral traditions, folktales, and songs passed down through generations of Wolof families. It has been mentioned in ancient Wolof poetry and proverbs, reflecting the importance placed on names and their symbolic meanings within the culture.
Throughout history, several notable Wolof women have borne the name Coumba. One prominent figure was Coumba Ndoye (1848-1923), a renowned griotte (female poet and singer) who played a crucial role in preserving and transmitting Wolof oral traditions. Her poetic works and performances were highly respected and celebrated within the Wolof community.
Another influential Coumba was Coumba Gaye (1902-1996), a pioneering Senegalese educator and activist. She dedicated her life to promoting education and empowering women, establishing several schools and advocating for gender equality. Her efforts paved the way for future generations of Senegalese women to pursue education and achieve greater opportunities.
In the realm of literature, Coumba Dème (1938-2009) was a celebrated Senegalese writer and poet. Her works, written in both French and Wolof, explored themes of identity, culture, and the experiences of Wolof women. She was a influential voice in the Négritude literary movement and was recognized with numerous awards for her contributions to African literature.
Coumba Samb (born 1951) is a renowned Senegalese painter and sculptor, renowned for her vibrant and expressive artworks that depict various aspects of Wolof culture and daily life. Her works have been exhibited internationally and are celebrated for their unique style and representation of African identity.
In the world of sports, Coumba Cissé (born 1973) is a former Senegalese basketball player who represented her country in several international competitions. She was a key player in the Senegalese national team and is remembered for her exceptional skills and dedication to the sport.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Coumba throughout history, each leaving a lasting impact in their respective fields and contributing to the rich tapestry of Wolof culture and heritage.
People
Coumba + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Coumba as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Coumba: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Coumba?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 212 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Coumba 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 1,616,766 US residents.
Is Coumba a common name?
We classify Coumba as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 214 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Coumba most popular?
The single biggest year for Coumba was 2014, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Coumba is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Coumba in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 332 people with the name Coumba, or 0.11 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #27,518 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 Coumba 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 Coumba?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Coumba leans strongly female. 330 people counted with this name were female (98.2%), compared with 6 male bearers (1.8%). 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 Coumba?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Coumba is Black at 95.5%. The next largest groups are White (1.8%) and Two or More Races (1.8%). 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 Coumba most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Coumba in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (317 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 Coumba in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Coumba a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Coumba 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 Coumba still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Coumba 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 Coumba 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 Americans are named Coumba?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Coumba at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.