Explore the Family Name Kaba
The meaning of Kaba
1. West African (mainly Guinea, Ivory Coast, and Mali): from the name of the Kaba clan of the Mandinka people, which may be based on the name of the village Kaba in southern Mali, which is of great historical importance to Mandinka. Compare Kabba. 2. Ethiopian: from the Oromo personal name Kaba, meaning ‘possessor’. It may also be a status name. — Note: Since Ethiopians do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US. 3. Turkish: nickname from kaba ‘large’, also ‘coarse’ (compare Greek Kappas). It may also be an ornamental name from a regional homonym meaning ‘mallow’. 4. Czech (Kába): from the personal name Kába, a derivative of the Biblical name Gabriel. 5. Hungarian: from kaba ‘falcon’ (loanword from Serbian and Croatian koba, a pet form of kobac ‘sparrowhawk’), hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble a falcon, or a metonymic occupational name for a falconer. Alternatively, it may be a nickname for a slow-witted person, from Hungarian kába ‘slow, lethargic’. 6. Hungarian: habitational name from any of the places so called in Szabolcs County in northern Hungary and in former Kȕlsȍ Szolnok County, now in Romania. 7. Japanese: written 樺 ‘birch tree’. The name is not common in Japan. In North America, it could (also) be a shortened form of a longer name. Some characteristic forenames: African/Muslim Mamady, Amadou, Karim, Lamine, Mohammed, Ibrahima, Mohamed, Abdoulaye, Amir, Fatoumata, Fawaz, Khalil, Mahmoud, Mamadou, Mohamad, Moussa, Oumar, Sekou. Japanese Masa, Shigeru, Yae.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Kaba in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname Kaba has significantly increased between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 21,295 in popularity, but by 2010, it had jumped to 14,870 — a substantial increase of over 30%. Additionally, the count of individuals with this surname grew from 1,147 in 2000 to 1,991 in 2010, marking a remarkable increase of nearly 74%. As a result, the proportion of people with the surname Kaba per 100,000 also rose by over 55%, moving from 0.43 to 0.67.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #21,295 | #14,870 | 30.17% |
| Count | 1,147 | 1,991 | 73.58% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.43 | 0.67 | 55.81% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Kaba
In terms of ethnicity, according to the Decennial U.S. Census, there has been some notable shifts among those carrying the Kaba surname from 2000 to 2010. The percentage of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander dropped by approximately 36%, while the number identifying as White decreased by around 33%. The census indicated no data for those identifying as two or more races in 2010, suggesting a decrease from the reported 5.84% in 2000. The Hispanic representation among Kabas increased slightly, from zero in 2000 to 2.86% in 2010. However, the most significant shift was seen within the Black community, which saw an increase from 52.92% in 2000 to 70.32% in 2010. No changes were observed for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 52.92% | 70.32% | 32.88% |
| White | 31.91% | 21.35% | -33.09% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 5.58% | 3.57% | -36.02% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 2.86% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 5.84% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |