What is the meaning of a yamaka?

: a skullcap worn especially by Orthodox and Conservative Jewish males in the synagogue and the home.

Is a kippah the same as a yamaka?

The yarmulke and the kippah are both the same thing, just different languages for the same cap. The yarmulke is from the Yiddish while the kippah is from the Hebrew. Even though the yarmulke is the most famous of the identification of a male Jew, they did not always wear the cap.