Kemari
Kemari (蹴鞠) is an athletic football game that was popular during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods of Japan. It resembles a game of keepie uppie or hacky sack.
Meaning & Origin of Kemari
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kemari (蹴鞠) is an athletic football game that was popular during the Heian (794–1185) and Kamakura (1185–1333) periods of Japan. It resembles a game of keepie uppie or hacky sack.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Kemari
As a girl name
Kemari first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1991, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2009: 34 births, good for #4,369 nationwide. About 38% of every Kemari on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kemari ranks #8,788 for girls with 10 births, falling sharply (-27%). All told, over 543 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Kemari on the record books as a boy name in 1996, with 7 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 2009, when 100 Kemaris were born — ranking #1,594 that year. About 38% of every Kemari on record arrived during the 2010s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kemari ranks #2,196 for boys with 67 births, holding steady (+3%). All told, over 2K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kemari
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kemari is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kemari
What does the name Kemari mean?
How popular is Kemari in 2026?
When was Kemari most popular?
In which U.S. states is Kemari most popular?
Is Kemari a unisex name?
What names go well with Kemari?
About the name Kemari
Kemari is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1996 and has accumulated 2K births in the dataset. Kemari's peak popularity came in 2009 when it ranked #1,594. Use the chart and map above to compare Kemari's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2009 →
- Names of the 2000s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.