Unisex name ★ peaked 2025

Koa

Gender Unisex · 10% girls Rank 2025 #269 Trend ↑ Rising 239%
Rank 2025
#269
among boys · ↑23 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
1,413
named Koa · +10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,333
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
1,413 babies
All-time total
8,548
#1,400 all-time among boys
First recorded
1978
in Social Security records

Koa popularity over time

8,548 babies have been named Koa since 1978, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s – – – – – –
1970s 5 7 12 1 – #4,812
1980s 21 13 34 3 +183% #5,250
1990s – 96 96 10 +182% #3,537
2000s 49 432 481 48 +401% #1,836
2010s 149 1,648 1,797 180 +274% #741
2020s (to 2025) 622 5,506 6,128 1,021 +468% #269

Where Koa is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 1,581 0.93 #226
2027 1,890 1.11 #193
2028 2,201 1.29 #167
2029 2,504 1.47 #142
2030 2,795 1.64 #130

Where Koa is most popular

Boys named Koa per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.582 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Nevada, and Delaware.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Koa born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 100 6.44 +1006%
Nevada 73 1.28 +120%
Delaware 18 1.19 +104%
New Mexico 39 1.18 +103%
Utah 112 1.17 +102%
Arizona 174 1.06 +83%
Idaho 40 0.977 +68%
Oklahoma 85 0.961 +65%
Alaska 11 0.924 +59%
Oregon 68 0.896 +54%
California 817 0.894 +53%
Louisiana 89 0.870 +49%
Mississippi 49 0.862 +48%
South Carolina 87 0.842 +45%
Washington 134 0.819 +41%
Georgia 199 0.786 +35%
Colorado 98 0.759 +30%
North Carolina 191 0.748 +28%
Alabama 81 0.741 +27%
Virginia 137 0.722 +24%
Florida 341 0.720 +24%
Nebraska 28 0.644 +11%
Kentucky 61 0.608 ≈ national
Ohio 159 0.600 ≈ national
Missouri 80 0.577 ≈ national
Tennessee 104 0.576 ≈ national
Indiana 90 0.561 ≈ national
Kansas 38 0.554 -5%
Pennsylvania 147 0.554 -5%
Maryland 64 0.537 -8%
Texas 471 0.535 -8%
Wisconsin 63 0.532 -9%
Michigan 104 0.508 -13%
Connecticut 33 0.487 -16%
Iowa 33 0.479 -18%
Illinois 118 0.462 -21%
Minnesota 53 0.432 -26%
South Dakota 8 0.430 -26%
Arkansas 27 0.427 -27%
West Virginia 13 0.398 -32%
Massachusetts 50 0.364 -38%
New Jersey 72 0.358 -39%
Montana 6 0.340 -42%
Maine 6 0.309 -47%
New York 130 0.300 -48%
District of Columbia – – –
North Dakota – – –
New Hampshire – – –
Rhode Island – – –
Vermont – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Koa

Koa is moderately common for boys in the United States, ranked #269 in 2025 with 1,281 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1978, 8,548 American babies have been named Koa, about 90% boys and 10% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2025, when 1,413 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Koa stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Koa?

The median living Koa is about 3 years old; half are between 1 and 6. An estimated 8,500 people named Koa are alive in the United States today.

median 3 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Koa year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 132 #1,588 1,281 #269
2024 136 #1,566 1,152 #292
2023 119 #1,732 1,119 #298
2022 121 #1,726 941 #350
2021 59 #2,869 536 #546
2020 55 #2,949 477 #582
2019 42 #3,645 326 #741
2018 17 #6,959 278 #811
2017 22 #5,752 223 #938
2016 8 #12,364 153 #1,227
2015 11 #9,839 162 #1,158
2014 13 #8,739 112 #1,461
2013 11 #9,947 113 #1,463
2012 10 #10,883 118 #1,413
2011 7 #14,117 88 #1,697
2010 8 #12,916 75 #1,907
2009 14 #8,685 81 #1,836
2008 7 #14,644 77 #1,889
2007 6 #16,611 56 #2,324
2006 6 #16,200 41 #2,811
2005 6 #15,523 42 #2,640
2004 – – 39 #2,725
2003 – – 29 #3,242
2002 – – 33 #2,856
2001 – – 17 #4,597
2000 10 #9,554 17 #4,491
1995 – – 13 #4,672
1990 – – – –
1985 – – – –
1980 5 #11,225 7 #5,250
1975 – – – –
1970 – – – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Koa

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Koča Popović Koča Popović Yugoslav general and politician (1908–1992) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Koa, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Koa?

The median living Koa is about 3 years old. Half of all living Koas are between 1 and 6 years old.

How many people named Koa are alive today?

An estimated 8,500 people named Koa are alive in the United States, based on 8,548 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Koa in 2025?

Koa ranked #269 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 1,281 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Koa?

8,548 babies have been named Koa in the United States since 1978, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Koa most popular?

Koa peaked in 2025, when 1,413 newborns received the name.

Is Koa a boy or girl name?

Koa is used for both: about 10% of babies named Koa have been girls and 90% boys.

Is the name Koa rising or falling?

Koa is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Koa become more popular?

Koa is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 2,795 boys named Koa in 2030, which would rank around #130. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Koa?

Well-known people named Koa include Koča Popović (politician).

Names like Koa

Names that sound and feel close to Koa: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Koa with similar names → More names starting with K →