Kaye
Masculine · Greek roots · “a short form of Katherine”
Kaye is given to both — 503 boys and 13,204 girls since 1880. See Kaye as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Kaye is Kay with a final e, one of the short names built from Katherine and its relatives. The comedian and singer Kaye Ballard shows the whole road in one life: she was born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland and performed for decades as Kaye.
How old is the name Kaye?
Kaye first appears in US birth records in 1920 — 105 years ago. The typical Kaye alive today was born around 1934, making them about 91 years old. About 100 people named Kaye are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kaye most popular?
Kaye peaked in 1932, reaching #802 nationally. See the whole 1932 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Aikaterine (Greek) to Kaye
The story of Kaye
Kay became a standing girls' name as a clipped Katherine, Kathleen or Kathryn, and the Kaye spelling grew up alongside it. Kaye Ballard, born Catherine Gloria Balotta in Cleveland, worked in nightclubs, on Broadway and on television, including the sitcom The Mothers-in-Law, and kept the stage name all her life. Her career is the name's history in small: a Catherine who became a Kaye.
Meaningscholars disagree
a short form of Katherine
For most girls Kaye is a pet form of Katherine or Kathleen, and what Katherine itself means is disputed. Kay is also an old man's name in Arthurian legend. The few boys recorded with this spelling have no source the record can separate from either road.
How the name formed
- AikaterineGreek
- KatherineEnglish
- Kay
- Kaye
Related forms: Kay
Pronouncing Kaye
KAY
One syllable, the same sound as the letter K; the final e is silent.
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
- 1920
- Most boys named
- 193263 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #802reached in 1932
- Change vs 1954
- 0.0%5 in 1957, from 5
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.
Kaye in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kay in English — spelling variant
Kayes among us
people named Kaye 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
Kaye 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
- One syllable, said exactly like the letter K.
- Works as a first or middle name, and pairs with any of the Kath- names.
- A clear, documented road from Katherine.
- It will be spelled Kay as often as Kaye, so expect to add 'with an e.'
- It is best known among women of an earlier generation, so it reads as a vintage choice.
- A few boys are recorded with it, from no source the record can show; a boy called Kaye will usually be read as a girl on paper.
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Kaye
Masculine · Greek roots
Frequently asked
- How many Kayes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 100 people named Kaye are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kaye in 2025?
- Kaye is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Kaye with classmates?
- Kaye 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 Kaye? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kaye and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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