Kayna
A feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially derived from Latin or Polynesian roots.
Name Census estimates that about 255 living Americans carry the first name Kayna. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kayna today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kayna births was 1996 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kayna. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kayna with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
255
~ 1 in 1,344,135 Americans
Peak year
1996
17 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,367
Tracked since 1978
Census
Kayna in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 288 people with the first name Kayna, which placed it at #30,313 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
#30,313
National first-name rank
People counted
288
288 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
54.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kayna
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kayna is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Hispanic (11.5%). 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 Kayna 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 Kayna at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White54.2% · 156
- Black or African American15.3% · 44
- Hispanic or Latino11.5% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander10.1% · 29
- Two or more races8.3% · 24
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 2
Popularity
Kayna: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kayna from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 86 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kayna 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 Kayna during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kayna
The given name Kayna is believed to have originated from the Arabic language, with its roots tracing back to the Middle East and North Africa regions. The name is thought to be derived from the Arabic word "kayn," which means "being" or "existence." It is a feminine name that holds deep cultural and linguistic significance.
In ancient Arabic literature and poetry, the name Kayna was often used as a metaphor for life's essence and the beauty of existence. Some scholars suggest that it may have been inspired by the concept of "kaynuna," which refers to the inherent nature or essence of a person or thing.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Kayna can be found in medieval Arabic texts and historical records, primarily from the 7th to 10th centuries. During this time period, the name gained popularity among Arab communities and gradually spread to other regions through cultural exchanges and migrations.
One of the most notable historical figures named Kayna was a 9th-century Arab poetess from Basra, present-day Iraq. Known for her eloquence and mastery of the Arabic language, her poems and writings have been preserved and studied by scholars over the centuries.
Another prominent individual with the name Kayna was a 10th-century Berber princess from North Africa. She was renowned for her beauty, intelligence, and diplomatic skills, playing a crucial role in mediating conflicts between rival tribes and fostering cultural unity.
In the 12th century, a celebrated Islamic scholar and jurist from Andalusia, present-day Spain, bore the name Kayna. Her contributions to the study of Islamic law and jurisprudence were widely recognized and influential during her time.
During the Ottoman Empire era, Kayna was the name of a renowned 16th-century calligrapher and artist from Istanbul. Her intricate calligraphic works and illuminated manuscripts were highly prized and are now displayed in various museums and galleries around the world.
In the 19th century, Kayna was the name of a renowned Egyptian feminist and activist who championed women's rights and education. Her efforts paved the way for greater social reforms and empowerment of women in the region.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals throughout history who carried the name Kayna, showcasing its rich cultural heritage and the diverse backgrounds of those who bore this name.
People
Kayna + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kayna 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
Kayna: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kayna?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 255 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kayna 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 1,344,135 US residents.
Is Kayna a common name?
We classify Kayna as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 260 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kayna most popular?
The single biggest year for Kayna was 1996, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kayna is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kayna in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 288 people with the name Kayna, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,313 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 Kayna 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 Kayna?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kayna leans strongly female. 285 people counted with this name were female (96.9%), compared with 9 male bearers (3.1%). 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 Kayna?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kayna is White at 54.2%. The next largest groups are Black (15.3%) and Hispanic (11.5%). 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 Kayna most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kayna in the 2020 Census, accounting for 54.2% (156 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 Kayna in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kayna a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kayna 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 Kayna still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kayna 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 Kayna 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 common is the name Kayna?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.