UK boy's name
Kuba
A diminutive form of the Slavic name Yakub or Jakob, meaning "supplanter" or "heel-catcher".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kuba is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kuba popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2088, with 11 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2015, with 46 births.
This profile covers 568 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 24% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 613 living people in the UK are called Kuba. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kuba ranked #2088 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 11 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2015, when 46 boys were registered as Kuba.
- • Kuba ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #291 in 2008.
- • About 613 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kuba as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2088
2024
Births in 2024
11
Latest year
Peak year
2015
46 births
Estimated living
613
2026
Meaning
What does Kuba mean?
The name Kuba is of Slavic origin and is believed to have derived from the Old Slavic word "kuba," which means "bump" or "protuberance." This name first emerged in the regions of modern-day Poland, Czech Republic, and Slovakia during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kuba can be found in the 12th-century Chronica Polonorum, a chronicle of Polish history written by Wincenty Kadłubek. The name appears in the context of a Polish nobleman named Kuba, who played a role in the political events of that time.
In the 14th century, a renowned Czech philosopher and theologian named Kuba Venturini (born around 1300) gained recognition for his works on logic and metaphysics. He was a prominent figure in the intellectual circles of Prague during the reign of King Charles IV.
During the Renaissance period, Kuba Sobieski (1590-1646) was a Polish nobleman and military commander who served as a court marshal and played a significant role in the Polish-Ottoman Wars. He was the father of the famous King John III Sobieski, who led the Polish forces in the Battle of Vienna in 1683.
In the 18th century, Kuba Rozycki (1726-1796) was a Polish composer and violinist who contributed to the development of the Polish classical music tradition. He is particularly known for his compositions for the violin and his influence on the musical culture of Warsaw.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kuba was Kuba Bakowski (1845-1916), a Polish painter and illustrator from the Realist and Impressionist movements. His works depicted scenes from everyday life and landscapes, capturing the essence of Polish rural and urban environments.
While the name Kuba has its roots in Slavic cultures, it has also gained popularity and usage in other parts of the world, particularly in areas with significant Slavic populations or cultural influences. However, the historical origins and early records of this name can be traced back to the regions of Central and Eastern Europe.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kuba over time
The chart below shows babies named Kuba registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kuba, the clearest high point is 2015. The latest England and Wales figure is 11 births in 2024, compared with 46 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kuba by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kuba was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1471 | 93 | 5 |
| 2010s | #893 | 341 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1534 | 131 | 6 |
| 1990s | #2901 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Kuba is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kuba. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kuba ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #291 in 2008.
Across the UK
Kuba in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#703 in 2022
11 years of NRS records, 44 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#291 in 2008
1 years of NISRA records, 5 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kuba
-
Kuba Knap
rapper
1990-
Related
Names similar to Kuba
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Kuba: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kuba in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kuba was ranked #2088 for boys in England and Wales, with 11 births registered.
When was Kuba most popular?
The peak year on record was 2015, with 46 babies registered as Kuba in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kuba?
A diminutive form of the Slavic name Yakub or Jakob, meaning "supplanter" or "heel-catcher".
How many people are called Kuba in the UK?
A total of 568 babies have been registered as Kuba across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 44 more in Scotland and 5 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kuba most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kuba ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #291 in 2008. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.