Kami - Name Meaning and Popularity -

Meaning of Kami

Kami is a brisk, two-syllable name that travels confidently across continents. Its heart lies in Japan, where “kami” denotes the sacred spirits of Shintō and carries the resonant meaning “divine.” Yet the name also slips naturally into Latin cultures as a streamlined pet form of Camila or Kamila, and English speakers sometimes adopt it as a modern spin on Kimberly. This cultural flexibility has kept Kami on U.S. birth rolls for more than six decades: it surged into the Top 500 during the salsa-colored 1970s, then eased into the 800–900 range, with 38 girls receiving the name in 2024. Literary fans may think of best-selling author Kami Garcia; global citizens might recall the caring Muppet named Kami created for South African Sesame Street. Compact, rhythmic, and easy to pronounce in Spanish, Portuguese, or English, Kami offers parents a name that blends brevity with a subtle whisper of the divine.