Koa
Say it: KOH-a
BoyMeans warrior, or brave; also a Hawaiian tree3 letters2 syllables
#286
in Ireland (2025)
#276 with spellings combined
15
babies in 2025
#251
best rank (2024)
100
babies since 2014
Koa through the years
Compare with another name →Show the numbers
| Year | Babies (boys) | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 15 | #276 |
| 2024 | 17 | #251 |
| 2023 | 11 | #333 |
| 2022 | 14 | #297 |
| 2021 | 8 | #400 |
| 2020 | 15 | #284 |
| 2019 | 6 | #485 |
| 2018 | 8 | #411 |
| 2017 | 3 | #710 |
| 2014 | 3 | #715 |
Source: CSO, Irish Babies' Names (VSA50, VSA60), CC BY 4.0.
★ What does Koa mean?
Warrior, or brave; also a Hawaiian tree
Hawaiian, from koa (warrior, brave), also the name of a native tree.
Say it right
KOHa
The story of Koa
Koa is a Hawaiian word with two related senses: a warrior, and brave or bold. It goes back to an old Polynesian word that also gave Māori toa, a warrior. Koa is also the name of Acacia koa, a large tree found only in the Hawaiian Islands.
As a given name it has spread well beyond Hawaii in recent years, alongside other short names ending in a vowel, such as Kai and Noa.
Koa first appears in the CSO records in 2014. Its best year was 2024, with 17 boys. It is doing even better in Northern Ireland, where 18 boys were named Koa in 2025, placing it at number 126. That is more babies than in the Republic that year, from a much smaller population.
Say it differently where you're from, or spotted something wrong? Tell us.
Sources
- Wiktionary: koa (Hawaiian noun)
- Wikipedia: Acacia koa
- CSO VSA50, Boys Names in Ireland with 3 or More Occurrences
- NISRA, First Forenames Given to Babies Registered in Northern Ireland
At a glance
Similar names
Sibling ideas
Spellings counted here
| Spelling | 2025 | All years |
|---|---|---|
| Koa | 15 | 100 |
In Northern Ireland
#126 in 2025 with 18 babies. Best rank #126 (2025); 73 babies since 2017.
Source: NISRA, Open Government Licence.