Name Meaning & Origin
"Mbira are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe"
Data last updated: 2025 SSA records
Mbira are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs, the right forefinger, and sometimes the left forefinger. Musicologists classify it as a lamellaphone, part of the plucked idiophone family of musical instruments. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are many kinds of mbira, often accompanied by the hosho, a percussion instrument. It is often an important instrument played at religious ceremonies, weddings, and other social gatherings. The "Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe" was added to the UNESCO Representative List of
Mbira are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe. They consist of a wooden board with attached staggered metal tines, played by holding the instrument in the hands and plucking the tines with the thumbs, the right forefinger, and sometimes the left forefinger. Musicologists classify it as a lamellaphone, part of the plucked idiophone family of musical instruments. In Eastern and Southern Africa, there are many kinds of mbira, often accompanied by the hosho, a percussion instrument. It is often an important instrument played at religious ceremonies, weddings, and other social gatherings. The "Art of crafting and playing Mbira/Sansi, the finger-plucking traditional musical instrument in Malawi and Zimbabwe" was added to the UNESCO Representative List of
Life Path 22 — Master Builder: Exceptional potential to turn dreams into reality.
Age breakdown · state data · decade charts · popularity trend — all on the full statistics page.
Root element "Kalimba" emerges in Multiple origins tradition, carrying the core meaning "Mbira are a family of musical instruments, traditional to the Shona people of Zimbabwe".
Used in English literary and religious texts, spreading through cultural exchange.
Carried across regions through trade, religion, and migration. Multiple spelling variants develop.
Standardized in its current form. Continues to be used across multiple cultures worldwide.
~13 people named Kalimba in the US. Peaked in 1974 with 7 recorded uses.
The Life Path number for Kalimba is 22, associated with Master Builder. Soul Urge: 11. Personality: 11.
Kalimba is Predominantly Female. Based on US data, 0% male and 100% female.
Approximately 13 people in the United States are named Kalimba. The name peaked in 1974 with 7 recorded uses.
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