Fun Facts About the Name Kima
- 377 babies named Kima: U.S. records list 377 babies given the name Kima from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kima Mean?
Kima has no single settled meaning, because spellings that look alike come from unrelated languages and do not share a root. The most often cited source is Swahili, where kima is an everyday noun for a monkey, a small tree-dwelling primate. If the given name comes from that word, its sense is the animal itself - a literal dictionary meaning, not a symbolic or customary interpretation. A separate word is the Hebrew כִּימָה (Kimah), the name of the Pleiades star cluster in the Hebrew Bible. The etymology of that Hebrew word is disputed: it is usually connected with a root meaning "heap" or "cluster," and some link it to a root for "rising," but no derivation is secure, and in the Bible it names a group of stars rather than a person. A third line is the use of Kima as a familiar short form of the male name Akim, the Russian form of Joachim, which also appears in Georgian. Because these origins are independent, the meaning of Kima depends on which language a given family had in mind.
Kima Name History & Origins
The Swahili noun behind the most common explanation belongs to the everyday vocabulary of the East African coast - the Swahili-speaking parts of Kenya, Tanzania, and the offshore islands. Personal names in that region are mostly Arabic, Christian, or European in origin, and use of Kima as an inherited given name there is not well documented; where it occurs, it may be a family's own use of the common noun rather than an old naming tradition.
In the Hebrew Bible the similar word כִּימָה appears as the name of a star group, translated "Pleiades" in English versions (Job 9:9, Job 38:31, Amos 5:8). In those passages it is a star name, not a personal name. Because its consonants match English spellings of Kima, the two are sometimes confused, but they belong to different languages.
In Russian, Kima serves as a familiar short form of the man's name Akim, the Russian form of Joachim (from Hebrew Yehoyaqim), and the same short form is used in Georgian. That line of use is separate from the Swahili noun and from the Hebrew star name. A different Soviet coinage, the name Kim, was formed from the initials of the Communist youth organization; feminine spellings such as Kima are sometimes grouped with it, but the two should not be treated as one name.
In English-speaking countries Kima is uncommon and is sometimes treated as a feminine form of Kim. A widely seen recent use is the fictional Baltimore detective Kima Greggs in the television series The Wire (2002 - 2008). That is a modern literary use and says nothing about where the name itself came from.
How Popular is the Name Kima?
Kima 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 2021. Its best rank was #3,833 in 1977.
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 | #11,450 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2024 | #7,763 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2023 | #5,648 | 22 | 0.0014% |
| 2022 | #5,556 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2021 | #5,481 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2020 | #9,927 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #18,515 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #13,097 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #19,101 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #15,159 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #16,856 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #9,753 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2000 | #10,344 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1999 | #8,533 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1997 | #14,962 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #8,505 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1988 | #12,820 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1985 | #8,781 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #9,595 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #8,682 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #9,667 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #9,537 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #6,650 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1977 | #3,833 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 1975 | #8,496 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1974 | #5,542 | 10 | 0.0007% |
| 1973 | #5,038 | 11 | 0.0008% |
| 1972 | #8,882 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1971 | #4,678 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1970 | #7,495 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1969 | #4,867 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1968 | #6,609 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1967 | #4,167 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1966 | #7,064 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1965 | #6,146 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #6,371 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #7,102 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1962 | #7,045 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #4,960 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1959 | #4,465 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1958 | #5,756 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1957 | #5,747 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1953 | #6,099 | 5 | 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 Kima 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
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.
✦ Kima's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kima's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.