Fun Facts About the Name Kamiah
- More than 1 thousand babies named Kamiah: U.S. records list 1,779 babies given the name Kamiah from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kamiah Mean?
Kamiah is a name from the Nez Perce language, part of the Sahaptian family spoken on the Plateau of the Pacific Northwest. It is usually translated as "many rope litters," and it comes from the name of Kamiah, a place on the Clearwater River in what is now northern Idaho, in the traditional homeland of the Nez Perce (Nimíipuu). The customary explanation is that the name refers to rope litters used to carry people or goods, but the exact Nez Perce form of the word and its literal parts are not firmly documented in readily available sources, so the translation is best treated as traditional rather than certain.
Kamiah Name History & Origins
Kamiah is best documented as a place name. Kamiah, Idaho, is a small community on the Clearwater River, and the surrounding area is central to Nez Perce tradition: the "Heart of the Monster" creation site, where the Nez Perce tell how Coyote made the first people, lies near the town. In 1806 the Lewis and Clark expedition camped in the Kamiah area, at a site they called Camp Chopunnish, while waiting for snow to clear from the Bitterroot Mountains.
As a personal name, Kamiah is used mainly in the United States, generally as a girl's name, and it is commonly understood as a borrowing of the Idaho place name rather than as an inherited Nez Perce given name. Similar-sounding modern American names such as Kamiyah or Kamaya are separate coinages, and the shared sound alone does not show a common origin.
How Popular is the Name Kamiah?
Kamiah 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 2016. Its best rank was #1,709 in 2016.
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 | #3,361 | 46 | 0.0029% |
| 2024 | #3,910 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 2023 | #3,732 | 41 | 0.0026% |
| 2022 | #2,735 | 63 | 0.0038% |
| 2021 | #2,691 | 64 | 0.0039% |
| 2020 | #2,387 | 74 | 0.0046% |
| 2019 | #2,468 | 72 | 0.0043% |
| 2018 | #2,544 | 69 | 0.0041% |
| 2017 | #2,172 | 88 | 0.0051% |
| 2016 | #1,709 | 125 | 0.0071% |
| 2015 | #2,226 | 85 | 0.0048% |
| 2014 | #3,023 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 2013 | #2,823 | 61 | 0.0035% |
| 2012 | #2,582 | 70 | 0.0040% |
| 2011 | #2,206 | 86 | 0.0049% |
| 2010 | #2,323 | 82 | 0.0046% |
| 2009 | #2,068 | 99 | 0.0054% |
| 2008 | #2,055 | 100 | 0.0053% |
| 2007 | #2,607 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 2006 | #2,569 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 2005 | #2,714 | 62 | 0.0034% |
| 2004 | #3,861 | 37 | 0.0020% |
| 2003 | #4,152 | 32 | 0.0018% |
| 2002 | #5,166 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #3,591 | 37 | 0.0021% |
| 2000 | #4,118 | 30 | 0.0017% |
| 1999 | #5,327 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1998 | #5,927 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #7,052 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1996 | #11,130 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1995 | #10,006 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #8,432 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #9,085 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #10,804 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #12,044 | 6 | 0.0003% |
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 Kamiah 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 are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Kamiah's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kamiah's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.