Ka
Feminine
Ka is given to both — 781 girls and 136 boys since 1880. See other names given to both
Ka is two letters, which puts it in a group of almost nobody. It is recorded for boys and girls alike, which short names very often are, and it happens to be one of the oldest words in any human language for the part of a person that survives.
How old is the name Ka?
Ka first appears in US birth records in 1962 — 63 years ago. The typical Ka alive today was born around 1990, making them about 35 years old. About 800 people named Ka are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ka most popular?
Ka peaked in 1990, reaching #2053 nationally. See the whole 1990 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Ka
Egyptian religion divided a person into several parts, and the ka was one of them: the life force, the double, the thing that was born with you and remained after death and needed feeding. Tomb offerings were for the ka. Statues in tombs were houses for it, which is why so many of them survive; they were not decoration but accommodation. A separate part, the ba, was closer to what English means by personality, and it was drawn as a bird with a human head. The division into several souls with different jobs is common across the ancient world and largely gone from modern European thinking, which manages with one. The name here is almost certainly not Egyptian. But two letters is not much room, and that is what is in them.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No source has been documented. It may be an initial used as a name, a short form of something longer, or a name chosen for its own sake. The Egyptian word is a coincidence of spelling rather than an origin.
Pronouncing Ka
KAH
One syllable. KAY is also heard, since two letters give a reader nothing to go on.
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
- 1962
- Most girls named
- 199065 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2053reached in 1990
- Change vs 2002
- −33.3%6 in 2004, from 9
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.
Kas among us
people named Ka are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ka 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
- Two letters: the shortest a name can reasonably be, and learned in a moment.
- It is recorded for boys and for girls, so it does not force a reading on anyone.
- It is genuinely unrepeatable in a classroom, which very few names can claim.
- Two letters give a reader no guidance at all, so the pronunciation has to be supplied every single time.
- Forms and software regularly reject names this short, which is a real administrative nuisance.
- There is no short form available and nothing to fall back on if the full name does not suit.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ka to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Ka? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Ka
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Kas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Ka are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ka in 2025?
- Ka is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Ka with classmates?
- Ka will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ka? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ka and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle