Cuba
Feminine · “the island of Cuba”
Cuba is given to both — 569 girls and 47 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Cuba is the name of the largest island in the Caribbean, given in America to girls and, in one well-known family, to sons. It is two open syllables, easy to call and impossible to forget.
How old is the name Cuba?
Cuba first appears in US birth records in 1891 — 134 years ago. The typical Cuba alive today was born around 1921, making them about 104 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Cuba are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Cuba most popular?
Cuba peaked in 1898, reaching #597 nationally. See the whole 1898 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Taíno Cuba to Cuba
The story of Cuba
Columbus reached Cuba on his first voyage and, on his second, was so determined that it was the mainland of Asia that he had his crews swear before a notary that it was a continent, with penalties for anyone who later said otherwise. It was an island, and its name is a Taíno word. American parents gave Cuba to daughters as a place-name, and later the singer Cuba Gooding of The Main Ingredient carried it as a man's name and passed it to his son, the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.
Meaningscholars disagree
the island of Cuba, a Taíno place-name
Cuba comes from the Taíno name of the island, whose exact meaning is disputed; readings such as great place or fertile land have been proposed. As an American given name it is the island's name used directly.
How the name formed
- Taíno Cuba
- Cuba
Related forms: Cuba
Pronouncing Cuba
KYOO-buh
Said like the island in English. In Spanish, KOO-bah.
Nicknames for Cuba
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1891
- Most girls named
- 189829 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #597reached in 1898
- Change vs 1960
- −16.7%5 in 1972, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Cuba in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Cuba in Spanish — same name
Cubas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Cuba are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Cuba sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short, bright and instantly recognized.
- It has a long history as an American given name.
- Everyone will think of the country first, and its politics may come up.
- Nearly every child given it is a girl, but the best-known bearers today are men, so it may be taken for a boy's name.
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What they receive
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Cuba
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Cubas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Cuba are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Cuba in 2025?
- Cuba is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Cuba with classmates?
- Cuba will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More C names
The most-given names starting with C, all years combined.
Carol#2239 · Cynthia#1013 · Catherine#313 · Christine#1272 · Carolyn#1222 · Christina#770 · Charlotte#2 · Cheryl#4352
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Cuba? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Cuba and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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