How popular is the baby name Kijana in the United States right now? How popular was it historically? Use the popularity graph and data table below to find out! Plus, see all the blog posts that mention the name Kijana.

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Popularity of the baby name Kijana


Posts that mention the name Kijana

What gave the baby name Rashaan a boost in 1995?

Football player Rashaan Salaam (1974-2016)
Rashaan Salaam

According to the U.S. baby name data, the name Rashaan reached the boys’ top 1,000 for the first and only time in 1995:

  • 1997: 52 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1996: 62 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1995: 140 baby boys named Rashaan [rank: 940th]
  • 1994: 38 baby boys named Rashaan
  • 1993: 19 baby boys named Rashaan

What was drawing attention to the name that year?

College football player Rashaan Salaam, who won the Heisman Trophy in December of 1994.

As a junior at the University of Colorado, Salaam (a running back) rushed for 2,055 yards — becoming the fourth player in college football history to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a single season — and scored 24 touchdowns. The Colorado Buffaloes ended up with an overall record of 11–1, placing third in the NCAA rankings.

Salaam forewent his senior year to enter the 1995 NFL draft. After a successful rookie season with the Chicago Bears, his performance declined, and he left the league several years later.

Sadly, after battling with depression (which was fueled by his belief that he’d failed to live up to expectations), Salaam committed suicide in 2016.

What are your thoughts on the name Rashaan?

P.S. Runner-up in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1994 was Ki-Jana Carter…

Sources:

Image: Rashaan Salaam trading card

What gave the baby name Kijana a boost in 1995?

Football player Ki-Jana Carter
Ki-Jana Carter

The curious name Kijana saw a sudden spike in usage, for both genders, in the U.S. baby name data in 1995:

Boys named KijanaGirls named Kijana
19972120
19963620
199598†38†
19942111
1993unlistedunlisted
†Peak usage

Why?

Because of football player Kenneth Leonard “Ki-Jana” (pronounced kee-JAH-nah) Carter.

Here’s how he came to have the memorable nickname Ki-Jana:

One summer night in 1973, 20-year-old Kathy Carter sat in a movie theater in Columbus, Ohio, watching Shaft in Africa, a sequel to the 1971 action film Shaft. The movie featured a little boy, and his name was Ki-Jana. “I said, ‘I like that name,'” Kathy recalls. The next morning she phoned the Black Student Union at Ohio State and found that kijana means ”young man” in Swahili. Several weeks later, on Sept. 12, 1973, Kenneth Leonard Carter was born, and on his birth certificate, in parentheses, was typed “Ki-Jana.”

(The word kijana does indeed mean “young person” in Swahili.)

Ki-Jana Carter, a running back, played three successful seasons (1992-1994) at Pennsylvania State University and was a finalist for the 1994 Heisman Trophy. So he decided to forego his senior year and enter the 1995 NFL Draft.

He was the No. 1 overall pick — selected by the Cincinnati Bengals. But, unfortunately, Ki-Jana was plagued by injuries throughout his seven-season professional career. In fact, he missed his entire rookie season after tearing his ACL during an exhibition game in August.

What are your thoughts on the baby name Ki-jana/Kijana?

P.S. Do you think Shaft in Africa could have caused the uptick in the usage of Kijana in 1973?

  • 1974: 7 baby boys named Kijana
  • 1973: 12 baby boys named Kijana
  • 1972: 7 baby boys named Kijana

Kathy said “[l]ittle kids were running on a road in Africa” in the scene in which she first heard the name Kijana. So far, though, I haven’t been able to find a clip of this scene online…

Sources:

Image: Ki-Jana Carter trading card