Girl · #10,274 in 2026

Kiwanis

Name: Popularity of the name Kiwanis in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Kiwanis, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Kiwanis International is an international service club founded in 1915 in Detroit, Michigan. It is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, United States, and is found in more than 80 nations and geographic areas. In 1987, the organization began to accept women as members. Kiwanis and its affiliated clubs have more than 600,000 members.

Current Rank

#10,274

Peak Rank

#6,667 (1973)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

Stable

1973

First Year

1983

Last Year

1973

Peak Year

#6667

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kiwanis

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Etymology

The name “Kiwanis” was coined from the Ojibwe language expression derived from the word giiwanizi meaning to "fool around": ningiiwaniz , which is found in the Baraga Dictionary as "nin Kiwanis", meaning "I make noise; I am foolish and wanton" or "I play with noise". Although Random House Dictionary states that it comes from one of the Algonquian languages and means "to make oneself known", in Ojibwe and other related Algonquian languages, this expression would be gikendami'idizo . [ citation needed ] Whatever the original meaning may be, the organization's founders translated it as "We Build"

Origin & history

The organization originated in August 1914 in Detroit , Michigan, from a conversation between Allen S. Browne and Joseph G. Prance . Browne's idea was to solicit business and professional men asking them if they would be interested in organizing a fraternal organization with a health benefit feature. Browne was compensated five dollars per new member that joined for his operating budget. Browne and Prance set out and recruited enough members to apply to the state for a not for profit status. The state approved the application on January 21, 1915, and the Supreme Lodge Benevolent Order Brothers

The Story of Kiwanis

Kiwanis first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1973, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1973, when 7 Kiwaniss were born — ranking #6,667 that year. As of 2026, Kiwanis ranks #10,274 for baby girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 19 Kiwaniss have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Kiwanis

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kiwanis is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Quantise
Kiwano
Canonise
Kunis
Kipnis
Quants
Caviness
Kawano
Galanis
Coronis
Kijana
Quantised

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kiwanis

What does the name Kiwanis mean?

How popular is Kiwanis in 2026?

In 2026, Kiwanis ranks #10,274 among girls' names in the U.S., with 5 babies given the name that year.

When was Kiwanis most popular?

Kiwanis reached its peak popularity in 1973, ranking #6,667 that year with 7 babies given the name.

Is Kiwanis a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Kiwanis is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Kiwanis?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kiwanis include Malcolm, Minyon, Zanthia. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kiwanis

Kiwanis is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1973 and has accumulated 19 births in the dataset. Kiwanis's peak popularity came in 1973 when it ranked #6,667. Use the chart and map above to compare Kiwanis's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

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.