Declining since 2022, #9,714 for boys today.
Popularity of Kemet since 1994
Babies named Kemet per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2016, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Kemet's real moment was 2022.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Girls | Boys |
|---|---|---|
| 1990s | 0 | 5 |
| 2000s | 0 | 5 |
| 2010s | 6 | 100 |
| 2020s | 6 | 72 |
Meaning & origin
The name Kemet derives from the ancient Egyptian term for the country, meaning 'black land.' It first appeared on U.S. birth records in 1994, and its popularity peaked in 2022, before entering a downward trajectory since then. As of 2025, it ranks 9,714 with approximately 1 in 244,011 newborns receiving the name. Kemet is almost exclusively used as a masculine name and carries strong cultural significance for families seeking a connection to African heritage.
Kemet (also spelled Khemit) is the indigenous name for ancient Egypt, derived from the Egyptian word 'km.t' meaning 'black land,' in reference to the dark, fertile soil of the Nile delta. In modern times, the name gained visibility among African diasporic communities as a revival of ancient heritage, often used as a masculine given name in the United States since the late 20th century.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Kem
Variants: Khemet, Khemit
Sibling names for Kemet
Names that share Kemet's style, for a brother or sister.
