Kodah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "bear cub" or "teddy bear".
Name Census estimates that about 498 living Americans carry the first name Kodah. It is a predominantly male name (94.0% of registrations). The average person named Kodah today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kodah births was 2017 (65 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kodah. 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 Kodah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
498
~ 1 in 688,262 Americans
Peak year
2017
65 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,481
Tracked since 2003
Gender
Gender distribution for Kodah
Kodah leans heavily male at 94.0% of total registrations, but 30 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kodah as a male name
- Ranked #3,481 in 2024
- 33 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2017 (59 births)
Kodah as a female name
- Ranked #14,428 in 2021
- 6 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2020 (8 births)
Popularity
Kodah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kodah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 255 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kodah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kodah 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 Kodah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kodahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Kodah, while Ohio, Michigan, Louisiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 11 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kodah
The name Kodah is an ancient name with roots tracing back to the Sumerian civilization of Mesopotamia, which flourished around 3500-3000 BCE. Derived from the Sumerian word 'ku-da', meaning 'brave warrior', the name was initially used to honor those who displayed exceptional courage and valor in battle.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kodah can be found in the epic tale of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known works of literature dating back to around 2100 BCE. In this ancient Sumerian epic, Kodah is mentioned as a revered warrior who fought alongside the legendary king Gilgamesh.
As the Sumerian culture gave way to the rise of the Babylonian Empire, the name Kodah continued to hold significance. It is believed that during the reign of King Hammurabi (1792-1750 BCE), a prominent military commander named Kodah led the Babylonian armies to several decisive victories, further cementing the name's association with bravery and martial prowess.
Over the centuries, the name Kodah appeared in various historical records and texts across the ancient Near East. In the 8th century BCE, an Assyrian scribe named Kodah was renowned for his meticulous documentation of historical events during the reign of King Sargon II.
As civilizations rose and fell, the name Kodah transcended cultural boundaries. In ancient Greece, a renowned philosopher named Kodah of Miletus (c. 500 BCE) was celebrated for his teachings on ethics and virtue. His philosophical works, though largely lost to time, were influential in shaping the intellectual discourse of the era.
During the medieval period, the name Kodah resurfaced in various regions. In the 12th century, a Persian poet named Kodah al-Din composed lyrical verses that captured the essence of courtly love and the beauty of nature. His works were widely admired and preserved in literary anthologies of the time.
Fast-forwarding to the Renaissance, a renowned Italian sculptor named Kodah Fiorentino (1454-1522) gained recognition for his intricate marble carvings and contributions to the artistic renaissance that swept across Europe. His masterpieces adorned numerous churches and palaces, leaving a lasting legacy in the world of art.
People
Kodah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kodah 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
Kodah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kodah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 498 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kodah 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 688,262 US residents.
Is Kodah a common name?
We classify Kodah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 502 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kodah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kodah was 2017, when 65 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kodah is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Kodah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kodah a male name?
Yes, 94.0% of people registered as Kodah 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 Kodah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kodah 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 Kodah 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people are named Kodah?
Find out how many people share the name Kodah on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.