Kainoa
A Hawaiian name meaning "the free one" or "free man".
Name Census estimates that about 2,564 living Americans carry the first name Kainoa. It is a predominantly male name (98.5% of registrations). The average person named Kainoa today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kainoa births was 2016 (105 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kainoa. 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
- • Kainoa is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.6K
~ 1 in 133,680 Americans
Peak year
2016
105 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,698
Tracked since 1975
Census
Kainoa in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,996 people with the first name Kainoa, which placed it at #7,589 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
#7,589
National first-name rank
People counted
2.0K
1,996 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.7
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Two or more races
41.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kainoa
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kainoa is Two or More Races at 41.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.2%) and Hispanic (20.6%). 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 Kainoa 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 Kainoa at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Two or more races41.8% · 835
- Asian and Pacific Islander26.2% · 523
- Hispanic or Latino20.6% · 411
- White10.3% · 206
- Black or African American0.9% · 18
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Gender
Gender distribution for Kainoa
Kainoa leans heavily male at 98.5% of total registrations, but 40 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kainoa as a male name
- Ranked #1,698 in 2024
- 98 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (105 births)
Kainoa as a female name
- Ranked #16,345 in 2024
- 5 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2021 (8 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kainoa leans strongly male. 1,893 people counted with this name were male (94.7%), compared with 106 female bearers (5.3%).
Popularity
Kainoa: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kainoa from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 877 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kainoa remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kainoa 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 Kainoa during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kainoas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 11 states and territories. Hawaii, California, Washington recorded the most babies named Kainoa, while Virginia, Florida, Utah recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 164 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kainoa
The name Kainoa originates from the Hawaiian language and culture. It is a compound word formed from the roots "kai" meaning "sea" or "ocean" and "noa" meaning "free" or "freedom." Thus, the name Kainoa can be interpreted as "free of the sea" or "freedom of the ocean."
This name has been used in Hawaii for centuries, with its roots tracing back to the ancient Polynesian voyagers who navigated the vast Pacific Ocean. The name reflects the deep connection between the Hawaiian people and the sea, which played a central role in their culture, traditions, and way of life.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kainoa can be found in the Hawaiian oral traditions and chants, which were passed down through generations. These chants often celebrated the bravery and skill of Hawaiian navigators and the importance of the ocean in their lives.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kainoa. One such person was Kainoa Lindsey (1891-1962), a renowned Hawaiian waterman and surfer. He was known for his expertise in surfing, canoe paddling, and traditional Hawaiian sports, and played a significant role in preserving and promoting these cultural practices.
Another notable Kainoa was Kainoa Harbottle (1924-2002), a Hawaiian musician and composer. He was influential in the Hawaiian Renaissance movement, which aimed to revive and preserve the Hawaiian language, music, and cultural traditions. Kainoa Harbottle composed numerous songs and chants that celebrated the beauty and spirit of Hawaii.
In the world of Hawaiian politics, Kainoa Kahala (1913-1998) was a prominent figure. He served as a member of the Hawaii House of Representatives and was an advocate for Hawaiian rights and self-determination. Kainoa Kahala played a crucial role in the movement to recognize and protect the rights of Native Hawaiians.
The name Kainoa has also been carried by notable athletes, such as Kainoa Lloyd (born 1983), a former professional baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays and the Detroit Tigers.
Lastly, Kainoa Correa (born 1988) is a contemporary Hawaiian artist and activist. He is known for his vibrant murals and artwork that celebrate Hawaiian culture, history, and environmental conservation efforts. Kainoa Correa has been recognized for his contributions to the artistic community and his efforts to raise awareness about important issues facing Hawaii.
People
Kainoa + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kainoa as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kainoa: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kainoa?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,564 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kainoa 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 133,680 US residents.
Is Kainoa a common name?
We classify Kainoa as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,600 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kainoa most popular?
The single biggest year for Kainoa was 2016, when 105 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kainoa is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kainoa in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,996 people with the name Kainoa, or 0.66 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,589 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 Kainoa 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 Kainoa?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kainoa leans strongly male. 1,893 people counted with this name were male (94.7%), compared with 106 female bearers (5.3%). 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 Kainoa?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kainoa is Two or More Races at 41.8%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (26.2%) and Hispanic (20.6%). 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 Kainoa most often in the Census?
Two or More Races is the largest reported group for people named Kainoa in the 2020 Census, accounting for 41.8% (835 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 Kainoa in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kainoa a male name?
Yes, 98.5% of people registered as Kainoa 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.
Is Kainoa still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kainoa 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 Kainoa 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 Kainoa?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Kainoa at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.