Kijana
- Gender
- Mostly boys
- Say it
- kee-JAH-nuh
- Origin
- Swahili
Kijana is a name of Swahili origin, meaning “young man, youth”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Kijana mean?
Swahili: Swahili kijana
“young man, youth”
From Swahili kijana, meaning young man or youth.
Is Kijana a girl's or a boy's name?
In recent years, Kijana has been given to girls and boys, mostly boys.
How popular is Kijana in the US?
No boys in the US were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1995, with 98 boys. It first appears in the records in 1972.
Half of all the boys named Kijana in the US since 1880 were born between 1995 and 1997, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 1997, 49% of the babies named Kijana in the US were girls.
Kijana in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2002 | 5 | #10,660 |
| 2001 | 12 | #5,660 |
| 2000 | 11 | #5,913 |
| 1999 | 9 | #6,524 |
| 1998 | 12 | #5,153 |
| 1997 | 21 | #3,346 |
| 1996 | 36 | #2,249 |
| 1995 | 98 | #1,155 |
| 1994 | 21 | #3,209 |
| 1993 | 0 | – |
| 1992 | 0 | – |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 0 | – |
| 1980 | 0 | – |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 0 | – |
| 1977 | 6 | #5,121 |
| 1976 | 0 | – |
| 1975 | 7 | #4,307 |
| 1974 | 7 | #4,188 |
| 1973 | 12 | #2,855 |
| 1972 | 7 | #3,960 |
Names related to Kijana
More Swahili names
Zuri, Imani, Malaika, Emani, Jabari, Zhuri, Imara, Maisha, Asante, Imaani, Malaikah, Taraji, Xuri, Zuriyah, Johari, Simba
Sources
Figures from Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kijana: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kijana, updated 20 October 2026.