Koa
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KO-a
- Origin
- Hawaiian
- UK rank, 2025
- #187 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #269 for boys
Koa is a boys' name of Hawaiian origin, meaning “brave, warrior; koa tree”. In 2025 it ranked 187th for boys in the UK (306 babies) and 269th for boys in the US (1,281 babies).
What does Koa mean?
Hawaiian: Hawaiian word
“brave, warrior; koa tree”
Hawaiian word for brave or warrior, and the name of the native koa tree, whose wood was used for canoes.
Is Koa a girl's or a boy's name?
Koa is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 14 girls and 306 boys in the UK and 132 girls and 1,281 boys in the US.
How popular is Koa in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- 187th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 306 about 1 in 980 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 306% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.4% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 306 boys in the UK were named Koa, making it the 187th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 451st. 14 girls were also named Koa in 2025 (2,076th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 4 years. 2025 had the most boys named Koa of any year since it first appeared, in 2004.
Half of all the boys named Koa in the UK since 1996 were born between 2021 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 365 boys in the UK were given Koa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #175, up from #187 for this spelling alone.
- Koa 306
- Koah 59
Among boys in 2025, it was 199th in England and Wales, 152nd in Scotland and 126th in Northern Ireland.
Koa in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 306 | #187 |
| 2024 | 285 | #197 |
| 2023 | 201 | #259 |
| 2022 | 164 | #311 |
| 2021 | 94 | #480 |
| 2020 | 97 | #451 |
| 2019 | 68 | #606 |
| 2018 | 30 | #1,043 |
| 2017 | 37 | #919 |
| 2016 | 16 | #1,655 |
| 2015 | 12 | #1,990 |
| 2014 | 27 | #1,106 |
| 2013 | 7 | #2,792 |
| 2012 | 9 | #2,382 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 3 | #3,792 |
How popular is Koa in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- 269th among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 1,281 about 1 in 1,300 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fast up 229% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1% chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 1,281 boys in the US were named Koa, making it the 269th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 582nd. It first appears in the records in 1978. 132 girls were also named Koa in 2025 (1,587th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 9 years. 2025 had the most boys named Koa of any year since it first appeared, in 1978.
Half of all the boys named Koa in the US since 1880 were born between 2019 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 1,558 boys in the US were given Koa or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #248, up from #269 for this spelling alone.
Koa in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,281 | #269 |
| 2024 | 1,152 | #292 |
| 2023 | 1,119 | #298 |
| 2022 | 941 | #350 |
| 2021 | 536 | #545 |
| 2020 | 477 | #582 |
| 2019 | 326 | #739 |
| 2018 | 278 | #809 |
| 2017 | 223 | #936 |
| 2016 | 153 | #1,221 |
| 2015 | 162 | #1,157 |
| 2014 | 112 | #1,456 |
| 2013 | 113 | #1,459 |
| 2012 | 118 | #1,407 |
| 2011 | 88 | #1,687 |
| 2010 | 75 | #1,897 |
| 2009 | 81 | #1,824 |
| 2008 | 77 | #1,874 |
| 2007 | 56 | #2,304 |
| 2006 | 41 | #2,783 |
| 2005 | 42 | #2,610 |
| 2004 | 39 | #2,693 |
| 2003 | 29 | #3,181 |
| 2002 | 33 | #2,813 |
| 2001 | 17 | #4,470 |
| 2000 | 17 | #4,383 |
| 1999 | 22 | #3,475 |
| 1998 | 10 | #5,834 |
| 1997 | 12 | #4,954 |
| 1996 | 17 | #3,824 |
| 1995 | 13 | #4,502 |
| 1994 | 7 | #6,962 |
| 1993 | 8 | #6,221 |
| 1992 | 7 | #6,662 |
| 1991 | 0 | – |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 0 | – |
| 1988 | 0 | – |
| 1987 | 0 | – |
| 1986 | 0 | – |
| 1985 | 0 | – |
| 1984 | 0 | – |
| 1983 | 0 | – |
| 1982 | 0 | – |
| 1981 | 6 | #5,466 |
| 1980 | 7 | #4,938 |
| 1979 | 0 | – |
| 1978 | 7 | #4,552 |
Names like Koa
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Kai, Kairo, Ozzy, Bodhi, Yahya, Yusuf, Musa, Luca, Remy, Yunus, Eesa, River
Other spellings of Koa
Names related to Koa
More Hawaiian names
Leilani, Kailani, Kalani, Nalani, Makai, Keanu, Meilani, Kailany, Leilany, Laylani, Kaleo, Lani, Luana, Leylani, Lailani, Makoa
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and 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, “Koa: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/koa, updated 20 October 2026.