Kidus
Masculine · “holy”
Kidus is the Ge'ez and Amharic word for holy, and it is the word said before every saint's name in the Ethiopian church.
How old is the name Kidus?
Kidus first appears in US birth records in 1996 — 29 years ago. The typical Kidus is a kid of about 11 — this name's wave is very recent. About 900 people named Kidus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kidus most popular?
Kidus peaked in 2014, reaching #2345 nationally. Today it ranks #4139, 1,794 places below that high. See the whole 2014 chart.
Where it comes from
From qeddus to Kidus
The story of Kidus
Ge'ez is the liturgical language of the Ethiopian and Eritrean churches, no longer spoken but still sung, and qeddus opens the name of every saint — Kidus Giorgis for Saint George. The same Semitic root gives the Hebrew kadosh of the Sanctus and the Arabic al-Quddus among the divine names. Kidus is used as a personal name in Ethiopia and reaches American records with Ethiopian families.
Meaning
holy, saint
From Ge'ez qeddus, holy or sanctified, cognate with Hebrew qadosh and Arabic quddus, all from a Semitic root meaning to be set apart. The Ethiopian liturgy uses it constantly.
How the name formed
- qeddus
- Kidus
Related forms: ቅዱስ · Kadosh · Quddus
Pronouncing Kidus
KEE-doos
Two syllables, first stressed. There is little variation.
Nicknames for Kidus
Moderate
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
- 1996
- Most boys named
- 201455 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2345reached in 2014
- Change vs 2024
- −7.4%25 in 2025, from 27
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.
Kidus in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- ቅዱስ in Amharic — transliteration
- Kadosh in Hebrew — related form
- Quddus in Arabic — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Maryland, Virginia, Texas.
Kiduss among us
people named Kidus are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 68,323 born in 2025 was named Kidus
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
The Rayshon test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Kidus's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Rayshon climbed just as high around 1995, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Rayshon's path sketches the road Kidus is walking now.
Kidus sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Kidus is headed
Kidus should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Kidus beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kidus in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning with a genuinely deep Semitic root behind it.
- Five letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- It carries Ethiopian identity clearly, which is the point for the families who use it.
- The Kid clip is an ordinary English word and children will use it.
- It names a religious quality, which is a specific thing to be called.
- It is entirely unfamiliar outside Ethiopian communities in America.
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What they receive
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Kidus
Masculine · #4139 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kiduss are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 900 people named Kidus are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kidus in 2025?
- Kidus ranks #4139 among US boy names in 2025, with 25 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kidus?
- About 1 in every 68,323 US boys born in 2025 was named Kidus — 25 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kidus with classmates?
- Kidus will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kidus
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Mose#4139 · Lucious#4139 · Karsten#4139 · Nikita#4139 · Hasani#4139 · Jomar#4139 · Fionn#4139 · Earnest#4139
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kidus? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kidus and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
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Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
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Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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