Koa

KOE-uh

Hawaiian

"warrior; flowing tree native to Hawaii"

Koa Origin and Meaning

The name Koa is a boy's name meaning "warrior; flowing tree native to Hawaii".

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 it's 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.

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 in 2023, 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 Rank in US Top 1000

# 298 in the US

Koa Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 118 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Koa

• 298 US 2023
• 118 Nameberry 2025
• 71 Unisex 2022
• 72 Future 2035
• 259 England 2023
• 170 Scotland 2024
• 85 Australia 2024
• 90 New Zealand 2024

20 Names Similar to Koa

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Koa.

• Koda
• Everest
• Talon
• Ren
• Kylo
• Harlow
• Aspen
• Slade
• Ender
• Reign
• Lux
• Pax
• Ember
• Raiden
• Ever
• Gray
• Rumi
• Cayde
• Wylder
• Malek

Famous People Named Koa

• Koa Egan (b.2011) son of Westlife singer Kian Egan
• Koa Thomas Dumont (b.2011) son of No Doubt guitarist Thomas Dumont

The name Koa in Pop Culture

• Koa mentioned in Ezekial 23:23; according to James Strong, "a region of Babylon"
• Koa wood from Hawaii