Koa
Koa was the 269th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,281 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 889 places. More babies were named Koa in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning brave, bold; warrior; koa tree (Hawaiian) · Hawaiian
Say it KOH-uh /ˈkoʊə/
- Rank in 2025
- #269 boys, up 313 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,281boys
- Girls and boys
- 10% girls, 90% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20251,281 babies
- Total since 1880
- 8,548babies recorded
What does the name Koa mean?
Koa is a Hawaiian word. Wiktionary traces it to Proto-Polynesian *toa (compare Māori toa, "brave, warrior"). Andrews' Hawaiian dictionary (1922) gives koa as "brave, bold" and "to be fearless", and as a noun both "soldier, warrior" and the koa tree (Acacia koa), a prized native hardwood. As a given name it is modern, used for boys in Hawaii and on the US mainland. The same letters also spell an unrelated people named in Ezekiel.
koa (Hawaiian, “brave, bold; warrior; koa tree”)
How sure is this? Well established.
See also: Hawaiian names, names that mean brave, names that mean warrior, names that mean tree.
Sources for this meaning
- Lorrin Andrews, A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language, rev. H. H. Parker (1922), s.v. 'Koa', Board of Commissioners of Public Archives, Honolulu (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Wiktionary, entry 'koa', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'koa', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Koa popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,588 | #269 | 132 | 1,281 |
| 2020 | #2,949 | #582 | 55 | 477 |
| 2010 | #12,916 | #1,907 | 8 | 75 |
| 2000 | #9,554 | #4,491 | 10 | 17 |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | #11,225 | #5,250 | 5 | 7 |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Koa, counting every spelling?
Koa is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #243 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #269 for Koa on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,558 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Koa | 1,281 | #269 | 5,029 |
| Koah | 260 | #912 | 881 |
| Coa | 10 | #7,778 | 29 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Koa?
1,281 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Koa (0.36 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Koa born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Koa.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Koa?
About 7,600 people born in the US named Koa are alive today, with a median age of 4; half are between 2 and 7. That makes Koa a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Koa by state
How common Koa was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Hawaii (11.1×), Nevada (2.2×), New Mexico (2.0×), Utah (2.0×), Arizona (1.8×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New York, Maine, Montana.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Koa: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Koa, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Koa · Sibling names for Koa
Questions about the name Koa
What does Koa mean?
Koa means “brave, bold; warrior; koa tree (Hawaiian)” (Hawaiian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Koa?
Koa was the 269th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,281 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 889 places. More babies were named Koa in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Koa a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 10% girls, 90% boys given the name Koa in the US.
Where is Koa most popular?
In 2021–2025, Koa was most common in Hawaii (6.44 per 1,000 boys), followed by Nevada and Delaware.