Kila
Hawaiian feminine name meaning "tree tree" or "tree branch".
Name Census estimates that about 883 living Americans carry the first name Kila. It is a predominantly female name (99.5% of registrations). The average person named Kila today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kila births was 1972 (60 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kila. 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 Kila with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
883
~ 1 in 388,170 Americans
Peak year
1972
60 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
1972 SSA rank
#5,387
Tracked since 1957
Census
Kila in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 892 people with the first name Kila, which placed it at #13,511 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
#13,511
National first-name rank
People counted
892
892 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.3
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
49.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kila
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kila is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Kila 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 Kila at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.1% · 438
- Black or African American28.8% · 257
- Hispanic or Latino7.8% · 70
- Two or more races6.4% · 57
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.1% · 54
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.8% · 16
Gender
Gender distribution for Kila
Out of the 931 babies given the name Kila since 1880, 99.5% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Kila as a male name
- Ranked #5,387 in 1972
- 5 male births in 1972
- Peak: 1972 (5 births)
Kila as a female name
- Ranked #12,777 in 2024
- 7 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1972 (55 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kila leans strongly female. 854 people counted with this name were female (95.2%), compared with 43 male bearers (4.8%).
Popularity
Kila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kila from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 242 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
Kila 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 Kila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kilas live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kila
The name Kila is believed to have originated from the Hawaiian language, where it is derived from the word "kila," meaning "to look" or "to observe." This suggests that the name may have been given to individuals with a keen sense of observation or those who were known for their watchful nature.
In Hawaiian culture, names often carried significant meaning and were chosen carefully to reflect the characteristics or qualities of an individual. The name Kila could have been bestowed upon children with a curious and observant disposition, or those who were perceived as having a keen eye for details.
Historically, the name Kila has been documented in various Hawaiian records and texts, although its earliest recorded use is unclear. It is possible that the name was in use among the indigenous Hawaiian population long before written records were kept.
One of the earliest known individuals with the name Kila was a Hawaiian chief who lived in the late 18th century. Kila was a prominent figure in the Hawaiian islands and played a significant role in the events surrounding the arrival of Captain James Cook in 1778.
Another notable figure with the name Kila was a Hawaiian scholar and historian who lived in the 19th century. Kila was renowned for his extensive knowledge of Hawaiian traditions, customs, and genealogies, and he contributed greatly to preserving Hawaiian culture and history.
In the 20th century, Kila Kamana'o was a revered Hawaiian musician and composer who was instrumental in reviving and perpetuating traditional Hawaiian music. Born in 1904 and passing away in 1990, Kamana'o's compositions and performances played a crucial role in preserving the rich musical heritage of Hawaii.
Kila Ka'aihue, born in 1984, is a former professional baseball player who played for several Major League Baseball teams, including the Kansas City Royals and the Oakland Athletics. He was known for his power-hitting abilities and his dedication to the game.
Lastly, Kila Peeters is a contemporary Belgian fashion designer and artist. Born in 1986, Peeters has gained recognition for her innovative and sustainable approach to fashion design, incorporating traditional techniques and materials into her work.
While the name Kila may not be as common globally as some other names, it holds significant cultural and historical significance within the Hawaiian community, reflecting the rich heritage and traditions of the islands.
People
Kila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kila 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
Kila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 883 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kila 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 388,170 US residents.
Is Kila a common name?
We classify Kila as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 931 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kila most popular?
The single biggest year for Kila was 1972, when 60 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kila is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kila in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 892 people with the name Kila, or 0.30 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #13,511 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 Kila 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 Kila?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kila leans strongly female. 854 people counted with this name were female (95.2%), compared with 43 male bearers (4.8%). 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 Kila?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kila is White at 49.1%. The next largest groups are Black (28.8%) and Hispanic (7.8%). 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 Kila most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kila in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.1% (438 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 Kila in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kila a female name?
Yes, 99.5% of people registered as Kila 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 Kila still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kila 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 Kila 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 people share the name Kila?
Want to know how many Americans are named Kila? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.