Unisex · #1,854 in 2026

Kota

Kota is a name with a single cultural origin: Japanese.

  • Japanese
Current Rank
#1,854
Peak Rank
#1,815 (2023)
Total Babies
1K
5-Yr Trend
+59%
👧 Girl peak #6,166 (172 total)
👦 Boy peak #1,815 (1K total)
👦As Boy Name
1985
First Year
2026
Last Year
2023
Peak Year
#1815
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
36
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
2009
First Year
2026
Last Year
2021
Peak Year
#6166
Peak Rank
172
Total Count
16
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kota

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

Kota is a name with a single cultural origin: Japanese.

Origin data from Behind the Name .

Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)

  • Japanese

The Story of Kota

As a girl name

Kota first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 2009, with 7 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 2021: 19 births, good for #6,166 nationwide. About 59% of every Kota on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kota ranks #6,609 for girls with 17 births, rising sharply (+32% over the past five years). All told, over 172 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 2000s to the 2020s.

As a boy name

The earliest SSA record of Kota as a boy name dates back to 1985, when 5 babies received it. 2023 was its biggest year on record, with 88 newborns named Kota — #1,815 in the national rankings. About 47% of every Kota on record arrived during the 2020s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kota ranks #1,854 for boys with 88 births, rising sharply (+59% over the past five years). All told, over 1K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

Where is Kota most common?

Predicted country distribution based on naming patterns globally.

  • Japan
    52%
  • India
    28%
  • Egypt
    12%
  • United States
    5%
  • Malaysia
    2%

Source: Nationalize.io . Probabilities are global naming-pattern estimates, not strict counts.

Names that sound like Kota

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kota 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 Kota

What does the name Kota mean?
Kota is a name with a single cultural origin: Japanese.
What is the origin of the name Kota?
Kota has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Japanese.
How popular is Kota in 2026?
In 2026, Kota ranks #1,854 among boys' names in the U.S., with 88 babies given the name that year.
When was Kota most popular?
Kota reached its peak popularity in 2023, ranking #1,815 that year with 88 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kota most popular?
Kota has historically been most popular in Pennsylvania, Florida, Georgia. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kota.
Is Kota a unisex name?
Yes — Kota is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 13% of Kotas assigned female and 87% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Kota?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kota include Cora, Mabel, Laurier. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kota

Kota is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1985 and has accumulated 1K births in the dataset. Kota's peak popularity came in 2023 when it ranked #1,815. Use the chart and map above to compare Kota'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.