Koah
Koah was the 912th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 260 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,328 places. More babies were named Koah in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Koa) brave, bold; warrior; koa tree (Hawaiian) · Hawaiian
- Rank in 2025
- #912 boys, up 1,060 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 260boys
- Girls and boys
- 13% girls, 87% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025260 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,438babies recorded
What does the name Koah mean?
Koah is a spelling of Koa, pronounced the same way, so it shares Koa's meaning and origin.
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
Koah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,150 | #912 | 51 | 260 |
| 2020 | #16,408 | #1,972 | 5 | 73 |
| 2010 | — | #4,773 | — | 20 |
| 2000 | — | — | — | — |
| 1990 | — | — | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Koah, counting every spelling?
Koah is a spelling of Koa, a name family that ranked #243 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #912 for Koah 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 Koah?
260 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Koah (0.07 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Koah 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 32 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Koah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Koah?
About 1,300 people born in the US named Koah are alive today, with a median age of 3; half are between 2 and 7. That makes Koah 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.
Koah by state
How common Koah was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Louisiana (3.3×), Georgia (1.8×), Ohio (1.6×), North Carolina (1.5×). In 25 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Koah: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Koah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Koah
What does Koah mean?
Koah is a spelling of Koa, which means “brave, bold; warrior; koa tree (Hawaiian)” (Hawaiian origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Koah?
Koah was the 912th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 260 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 3,328 places. More babies were named Koah in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Koah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 13% girls, 87% boys given the name Koah in the US.
Where is Koah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Koah was most common in New Mexico (0.33 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Montana.