Fun Facts About the Name Kamara
- More than 2 thousand babies named Kamara: U.S. records list 2,092 babies given the name Kamara from 1880 through 2025. Even 26 boys received the name Kamara - about 1 boy for every 79 girls.
What Does the Name Kamara Mean?
Kamara is a West African family name of Mande origin, used as both a surname and a given name. It belongs to the old Mande system of clan names, in which a name was inherited by a whole kin group rather than chosen for its descriptive sense. For this reason the literal meaning of Kamara is not securely known; it is a clan label first and a word with a translatable sense second.
Kamara is the spelling usual in English-speaking West Africa, while Camara is the French-based spelling used in Guinea, Mali, and Senegal. The two are the same clan name, not separate names that resemble each other.
A different and unrelated name with the same spelling comes from Greek: kamara (καμάρα) means "arch" or "vault," and it survives as a Greek surname and place name. Its resemblance to the African name is coincidental.
Kamara Name History & Origins
Kamara is one of the long-established family names of the Mande-speaking peoples of West Africa, in the same group as Keita, Konaté, Traoré, and Diarra. Such names spread with the medieval Mali Empire and with the later Mande migrations, so that the same clan names are found across a wide belt of the region.
Speakers of Mande languages who moved southwest into what is now Sierra Leone and Liberia carried the name with them. Kamara is now especially common among the Mende of Sierra Leone, and it also appears in Guinea, Liberia, Gambia, and Mali. In Guinea, Mali, and Senegal the French spelling Camara is standard, while Kamara is standard in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Gambia.
In West Africa the name serves as both a surname and a personal name. Outside the region it is encountered far more often as a surname; its use as a first name is a later development, and it is given to both boys and girls.
The Greek Kamara, from καμάρα ("arch"), developed separately as a surname and as a local place name in Greece; it has no connection to the African clan name.
How Popular is the Name Kamara?
Kamara has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2007. Its best rank was #2,233 in 2007.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,943 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2024 | #3,529 | 44 | 0.0027% |
| 2023 | #3,451 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 2022 | #3,096 | 53 | 0.0032% |
| 2021 | #2,398 | 75 | 0.0046% |
| 2020 | #2,836 | 58 | 0.0036% |
| 2019 | #2,618 | 67 | 0.0040% |
| 2018 | #4,194 | 34 | 0.0020% |
| 2017 | #3,075 | 53 | 0.0031% |
| 2016 | #3,618 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2015 | #3,679 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2014 | #3,808 | 40 | 0.0022% |
| 2013 | #2,821 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 2012 | #2,788 | 63 | 0.0036% |
| 2011 | #2,745 | 64 | 0.0036% |
| 2010 | #2,393 | 79 | 0.0044% |
| 2009 | #2,277 | 86 | 0.0047% |
| 2008 | #2,648 | 70 | 0.0037% |
| 2007 | #2,233 | 88 | 0.0046% |
| 2006 | #2,279 | 84 | 0.0044% |
| 2005 | #2,444 | 72 | 0.0039% |
| 2004 | #2,942 | 54 | 0.0029% |
| 2003 | #4,354 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2002 | #3,493 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2001 | #3,516 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #3,617 | 36 | 0.0020% |
| 1999 | #3,666 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 1998 | #3,771 | 31 | 0.0018% |
| 1997 | #5,506 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1996 | #5,164 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1995 | #3,318 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 1994 | #3,484 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 1993 | #4,583 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1992 | #3,531 | 31 | 0.0017% |
| 1991 | #4,568 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 1990 | #3,952 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1989 | #4,746 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #4,233 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1987 | #4,757 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #5,581 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1985 | #3,192 | 28 | 0.0016% |
| 1984 | #4,588 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1983 | #4,020 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1982 | #5,351 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 1981 | #6,067 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #6,082 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1979 | #4,720 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1978 | #5,717 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #3,817 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1976 | #3,339 | 21 | 0.0014% |
| 1975 | #4,705 | 13 | 0.0009% |
| 1974 | #3,362 | 20 | 0.0014% |
| 1973 | #4,236 | 14 | 0.0010% |
| 1972 | #3,621 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1971 | #6,274 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1970 | #4,887 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,287 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1967 | #5,708 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1965 | #6,124 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | #13,292 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2019 | #8,524 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #13,571 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2002 | #8,929 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kamara Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You desire to inspire and lead, to control other's affairs. You are giving, courageous and bold, action oriented,energetic and strong willed. You want to make a difference in the world, and this attitude often attracts you to cultural interests, politics, social issues, and the cultivation of your creative talents.
✦ Kamara's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kamara's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.