Fun Facts About the Name Kohana
- 222 babies named Kohana: U.S. records list 222 babies given the name Kohana from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kohana Mean?
Kohana is a Japanese name written 小花, combining 小 (ko), "small" or "little," with 花 (hana), "flower." The literal sense is "little flower," and that is the meaning usually given for the name. Because Japanese given names are written with kanji that parents choose individually, the same sounds can be written with other characters - 華, for instance, also means "flower" or "blossom" - so the meaning follows from the characters used rather than from one fixed inherited spelling.
The element 花, "flower," is a familiar part of Japanese girls' names, as in Hanako (花子). A similar-looking Jewish surname, Kahana (also spelled Kahane and sometimes Kohane), comes from Hebrew kōhēn, "priest," the root behind the surname Cohen; it is a separate name with a separate origin and does not share an origin with the Japanese name.
Kohana Name History & Origins
小花 is also a Japanese surname, where the same two characters are read Obana rather than Kohana, which shows how readings work in Japanese naming. 小 may be read ko or o, and 花 may be read hana or ka, so a single written form can carry more than one reading, and Kohana and Obana are two readings of the same characters.
A longer, similar-looking name appears in Japanese myth: 木花咲耶姫, Konohanasakuya-hime, the goddess associated with Mount Fuji and with cherry blossoms. Her name is built from 木, "tree," and 花, "flower," and its reading Konohana is distinct from Kohana; the two are linked only by their shared use of the flower character.
Outside Japan the word also appears as the name of an open-source PHP web framework, Kohana, which began in the late 2000s as a fork of CodeIgniter. That is a use of the Japanese word as a project name and does not document the personal name's earlier history.
How Popular is the Name Kohana?
Kohana 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 2009. Its best rank was #7,207 in 2009.
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 | #9,192 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #8,177 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2023 | #11,723 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #10,821 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #9,271 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #9,931 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #9,434 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #9,505 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2017 | #10,373 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #13,664 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #15,526 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2014 | #12,552 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #12,624 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #10,880 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #10,829 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #7,207 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #9,268 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2007 | #9,299 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2006 | #14,400 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #10,559 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2004 | #13,515 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2003 | #14,866 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2002 | #16,876 | 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 Kohana 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 frank, methodical and believe in law, system and order.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Kohana's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kohana's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.