Kail
Masculine
Kail is given to both — 606 boys and 36 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Kail is a one-syllable American name given mostly to boys, sounding like Kyle or Kale. In the Himalayas the same word names the blue pine, a tall, silvery-needled tree of the mountain forests.
How old is the name Kail?
Kail first appears in US birth records in 1962 — 63 years ago. The typical Kail alive today was born around 2007, making them about 18 years old. About 600 people named Kail are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kail most popular?
Kail peaked in 2008, reaching #3103 nationally. See the whole 2008 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Kail
In Kashmir and across the western Himalayas, the blue pine, with its long, drooping blue-green needles, is called kail, and its forests climb the slopes above the valleys. Kail, the American name, did not come from the tree; it came from Kyle and its neighbors. But it shares its sound with a tall, patient tree of the high mountains.
Meaningnot established
Not established
Kail may be Kyle, Kale or Cale spelled another way; nothing records which.
Pronouncing Kail
KAYL
One syllable, rhyming with sail; some families say KYLE.
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1962
- Most boys named
- 200837 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #3103reached in 2008
- Change vs 2023
- −37.5%5 in 2024, from 8
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Kails among us
people named Kail are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Kail sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Short and simple.
- Rare, so a Kail is unlikely to meet another.
- Easy to write.
- People will write Kyle or Kale.
- The pronunciation can go two ways.
- It has no documented meaning of its own.
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Kail
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Kails are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 600 people named Kail are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kail in 2025?
- Kail is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Kail with classmates?
- Kail will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Kenneth#294 · Kevin#221 · Kyle#508 · Keith#800 · Karl#1585 · Kaleb#295 · Kurt#2258 · Kelly#1867
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kail? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kail and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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