The baby name Kava is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KAH-vah (IPA: /ˈkɑːvə/).
Kava is Polynesian, Slavic in Origin.
The baby name Kava is a Unisex name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced KAH-vah (IPA: /ˈkɑːvə/).
Kava is Polynesian, Slavic in Origin.
Kava traces to Polynesian languages, where kava (Tongan, Samoan ‘ava, Hawaiian ‘awa) names the Piper methysticum plant and its ceremonial drink. The root kawa/kava carries the sense “bitter,” and in Māori kawa also denotes ritual protocol. As a given name, Kava is rare but culturally resonant in Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji and has seen modest, modern use abroad through Pacific diasporas and growing awareness of kava ceremonies, which symbolize hospitality, reconciliation, and communal harmony.
Variants and near-equivalents include ‘Ava/Ava (Samoan), ‘Awa (Hawaiian), Kawa/Kāwa (Māori orthography), and the compounded Kawakawa in Māori plant names; Fijian also uses yaqona for the drink. Outside Polynesia, kava means “coffee” in some South Slavic languages, occasionally inspiring informal nickname use. Meaning for the name centers on the kava plant/drink and the idea of shared rites and peaceful gathering. It is sometimes confused with the unrelated Persian name Kaveh.
Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.
| Country | Gender | Year | Rank | Born | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DJ | Boys | 0 | #36 | 1 | 657 |
| IN | 0 | #71 | 1 | 2,963 | |
| IQ | 0 | #133 | 1 | 3,533 | |
| LT | Boys | 0 | #151 | 1 | 2,166 |
| LT | Girls | 0 | #200 | 1 | 1,904 |
| BG | Boys | 0 | #220 | 1 | 3,850 |
| IR | 0 | #231 | 1 | 4,221 | |
| MO | Boys | 0 | #234 | 1 | 5,842 |
| GR | Girls | 0 | #249 | 1 | 6,293 |
| NA | Boys | 0 | #251 | 3 | 6,830 |
| HR | Boys | 0 | #259 | 1 | 3,997 |
| AF | Boys | 0 | #274 | 1 | 3,535 |
| JM | Boys | 0 | #291 | 3 | 6,876 |
| HR | Girls | 0 | #294 | 1 | 3,687 |
| KZ | Boys | 0 | #295 | 2 | 6,578 |
| DK | Boys | 0 | #332 | 1 | 7,401 |
| KZ | Girls | 0 | #332 | 1 | 5,862 |
| QA | Girls | 0 | #343 | 1 | 15,378 |
| CZ | Girls | 0 | #351 | 1 | 5,378 |
| HK | 0 | #357 | 1 | 8,483 | |
| PL | Girls | 0 | #364 | 1 | 5,096 |
| PT | Boys | 0 | #381 | 1 | 7,951 |
| BO | 0 | #408 | 1 | 6,868 | |
| OM | Girls | 0 | #423 | 2 | 15,987 |
| ZA | 0 | #474 | 1 | 14,421 | |
| PA | Boys | 0 | #505 | 1 | 9,305 |
| PA | Girls | 0 | #518 | 1 | 9,861 |
| IQ | Girls | 0 | #525 | 1 | 11,303 |
| RU | Boys | 0 | #525 | 2 | 12,621 |
| IR | Boys | 0 | #543 | 10 | 10,162 |
| IR | Girls | 0 | #544 | 2 | 8,334 |
| HK | Boys | 0 | #556 | 2 | 12,905 |
| LY | 0 | #558 | 2 | 12,703 | |
| KW | Girls | 0 | #560 | 2 | 19,177 |
| CR | Girls | 0 | #572 | 2 | 11,342 |
| CM | Boys | 0 | #575 | 1 | 12,054 |
| BH | 0 | #587 | 1 | 17,937 | |
| IL | Boys | 0 | #625 | 1 | 10,983 |
| HK | Girls | 0 | #647 | 4 | 16,104 |
| IN | Girls | 0 | #654 | 1 | 13,121 |
| LB | 0 | #690 | 1 | 13,263 | |
| IQ | Boys | 0 | #695 | 3 | 13,071 |
| SG | Boys | 0 | #739 | 1 | 17,960 |
| QA | Boys | 0 | #743 | 1 | 18,093 |
| KW | Boys | 0 | #805 | 2 | 18,755 |
| NG | Girls | 0 | #826 | 1 | 15,093 |
| TN | 0 | #865 | 1 | 13,765 | |
| CL | Girls | 0 | #911 | 5 | 14,098 |
| United States | Girls | 2020 | #913 | 5 | 8,768 |
| OM | Boys | 0 | #918 | 1 | 17,948 |
| PE | Boys | 0 | #926 | 1 | 14,506 |
| CO | Boys | 0 | #978 | 4 | 15,656 |
| IN | Boys | 0 | #986 | 16 | 16,750 |
| BR | Girls | 0 | #992 | 1 | 12,708 |
| NG | Boys | 0 | #1,001 | 1 | 16,906 |
| PE | Girls | 0 | #1,007 | 4 | 14,861 |
| MX | Boys | 0 | #1,032 | 2 | 16,355 |
| AE | Boys | 0 | #1,141 | 3 | 22,615 |
| CO | Girls | 0 | #1,150 | 3 | 16,140 |
| TR | 0 | #1,155 | 57 | 19,440 | |
| MY | Boys | 0 | #1,181 | 2 | 25,439 |
| DZ | 0 | #1,232 | 3 | 20,130 | |
| ZA | Girls | 0 | #1,236 | 1 | 25,928 |
| MX | Girls | 0 | #1,266 | 2 | 17,781 |
| SA | Boys | 0 | #1,691 | 1 | 28,008 |
Kava is popular in 45 countries — most recent births per country:
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