Kwanzaa
The Story of Kwanzaa
As a girl name
The earliest SSA record of Kwanzaa as a girl name dates back to 1984, when 5 babies received it. 1994 was its biggest year on record, with 10 newborns named Kwanzaa — #8,124 in the national rankings. About 85% of every Kwanzaa on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Kwanzaa last appeared in the published SSA data in 1995, with 8 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 34 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
American parents first put Kwanzaa on the record books as a boy name in 1993, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1993, when 5 Kwanzaas were born — ranking #8,700 that year. Kwanzaa last appeared in the published SSA data in 1993, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 5 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1990s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kwanzaa
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kwanzaa 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 Kwanzaa
What does the name Kwanzaa mean?
How popular is Kwanzaa in 2026?
When was Kwanzaa most popular?
Is Kwanzaa a unisex name?
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About the name Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1984 and has accumulated 34 births in the dataset. Kwanzaa's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #8,124. Use the chart and map above to compare Kwanzaa's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1994 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl 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.