Koa
2025 SSA
2025 SSA
About Koa
The international popularity of Noah has led to some parents searching for alternatives and the rhyming Koa is now attracting more attention than ever. With its cool K initial and summery, nature-inspired feel, this punchy three letter name has risen more than 600 places since it entered the US charts in 2017.
Koa for boys#269 US
A Hawaiian name with a fierce meaning, Koa is also a type of tree native to the islands whose wood is favored for building canoes and surfboards. Considered sacred to some, the tree was also used historically to make weapons, making it synonymous with strength and warriors.
Given to around 1100 boys in the US last year, Koa is also in the Top 500 in the UK, and in the Top 100 in Australia, where it is also associated with the Aboriginal Koa people, whose name possibly comes from a word meaning "west".
Striking the balance between gentle nature name and bold adventurer, Koa was chosen by guitarist Tom Dumont of the band No Doubt, a brother for Ace and Rio, and a name that fits right in with all of the band's stylishly named offspring, Mason, Magnolia, Ruby, Kingston, Zuma, Apollo, Coco, and Saffron. The YouTubers, Family Fizz, also have a son named Koa, who joins sisters Mia, Sienna, and Karma, and baseball player Francisco Lindor and his wife used Koa Amani for their son in 2025.
Koa for girls#1588 US
The popularity of the Biblical Noah has led to a rise in Koa for boys, and since it boosted Noa up the charts for girls too, it was only so long before the rhyming Koa caught on as a unisex possibility. While it remains predominantly masculine and is given to boys 10 times more often in the states, a not insubstantial 114 girls were called Koa in a recent year.
A Hawaiian name with a fierce meaning, Koa is also a type of tree native to the islands whose wood is favored for building canoes and surfboards. Considered sacred to some, the tree was used historically to make weapons, making it synonymous with strength and warriors. Both adventurous and gentle, Koa is a pleasingly balanced choice.
Sound-wise, it translates easily onto any gender, though for those not of Hawaiian heritage, it is worth bearing in mind its use as a traditionally masculine name.
Pronounced KO-uh.
As of October 2026, Koa ranked #269 in US births in 2025 SSA, Nameberry popularity #371.
Popularity & trends
Data table
| Year | US rank · boys | Births · boys | US rank · girls | Births · girls |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | #1,461 | 112 | — | 0 |
| 2015 | #1,158 | 162 | — | 0 |
| 2016 | #1,227 | 153 | — | 0 |
| 2017 | #938 | 223 | — | 0 |
| 2018 | #811 | 277 | — | 0 |
| 2019 | #740 | 326 | #3,643 | 42 |
| 2020 | #583 | 476 | #2,948 | 55 |
| 2021 | #546 | 535 | #2,867 | 59 |
| 2022 | #350 | 941 | #1,725 | 121 |
| 2023 | #298 | 1,118 | #1,730 | 119 |
| 2024 | #292 | 1,145 | #1,563 | 136 |
| 2025 | #269 | 1,281 | #1,588 | 132 |
World rankings
Koa for boys
Koa for girls
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Koa on lists
Famous Koas
- Koa Egan (b.2011)Boy
son of Westlife singer Kian Egan
- Koa Thomas Dumont (b.2011)Boy
son of No Doubt guitarist Thomas Dumont
Koa in pop culture
- KoaBoy
mentioned in Ezekial 23:23; according to James Strong, "a region of Babylon"
- Koa woodBoy
from Hawaii