Kye
Masculine
Kye is given to both — 5,557 boys and 347 girls since 1880. See other names given to both
Kye is three letters and one breath — it rhymes with sky, and it lands in the same sound-family English already knows through Kai, Ky and Kyle. It has been turning up in American records since the middle of the last century, quietly, never in crowds, and its wave among children is recent rather than long spent.
How old is the name Kye?
Kye first appears in US birth records in 1956 — 69 years ago. The typical Kye is a kid of about 9 — this name's wave is very recent. About 5,500 people named Kye are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kye most popular?
Kye peaked in 2016, reaching #693 nationally. Today it ranks #1366, 673 places below that high. See the whole 2016 chart.
Kye appears on this list:
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Kye
Some names arrive with a paper trail behind them; Kye arrives with a sound. It is a single syllable that opens with a hard K and closes on the long, open vowel of sky and eye — the kind of name that carries across a yard without being shouted. Its spelling puts it in real company: the -ye of Skye, the K of Kai, the sound of the ending of Kyle. It reads as a name built for calling rather than for signing, and the record shows it doing exactly that, in small numbers, for the better part of seventy years.
Meaningnot established
Not established
No established meaning. What is documented is the shape of the name rather than a source: a single syllable spelled with the -ye ending English uses in Skye and Frye, sitting alongside Kai and Ky, and appearing in US records from the mid-twentieth century onward. Kai itself carries several unrelated meanings in Hawaiian, Frisian and Japanese, but Kye's own line to any of them has not been traced.
Pronouncing Kye
KY
One syllable, rhyming with sky. The -ye ending occasionally prompts a first-time reader to try two syllables (KY-ee), but a single correction settles it for good.
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
- 1956
- Most boys named
- 2016356 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #693reached in 2016
- Change vs 2024
- −20.5%136 in 2025, from 171
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.
Kye in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Ky in English — spelling variant
- Kai in English — related form
- Cai in Welsh — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, California, Florida.
Kyes among us
people named Kye are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 12,559 born in 2025 was named Kye
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 Raynard test
Every popular name lives one long story — a climb, a peak, a slow settling back. Kye's later chapters haven't been written yet, so we borrowed them: Raynard climbed just as high around 1962, and its whole arc is on record. Line the two peaks up, and Raynard's path sketches the road Kye is walking now.
Kye 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 Kye is headed
Kye is easing off slowly — about 20% fewer babies a year by 2030 if the trend continues.
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.
Kye beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kye in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- One syllable, three letters — quick to say, quick to write, and legible on any form.
- Sits inside sound territory Americans already know from Kai and Kyle, so nobody has to learn an unfamiliar sound.
- Short enough to pair easily with long or multi-syllable surnames and middle names.
- A child named Kye will very likely be the only one in the class, without the name being unrecognizable to anyone.
- Familiar across regions, with the strongest showing in Texas, California and Florida.
- It lives in a crowded spelling neighborhood. Kai, Ky and Kye all sound identical aloud, so expect a lifetime of "K-Y-E" over the phone and the occasional Kai on a name tag.
- No settled meaning. If part of the pleasure for you is telling a child what their name means, this one offers sound and family story instead of a dictionary entry.
- Its wave among children is a recent one, so it reads as a contemporary name rather than an inherited one — clearly of this generation more than of any earlier one.
- Very short names give little room for a formal register; there is no longer version to fall back on for a resume or a diploma. Many people find that a relief rather than a loss.
Nobody names a baby alone.
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What they receive
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Kye
Masculine · #1366 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kyes are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 5,500 people named Kye are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kye in 2025?
- Kye ranks #1366 among US boy names in 2025, with 136 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kye?
- About 1 in every 12,559 US boys born in 2025 was named Kye — 136 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kye with classmates?
- Kye will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kye
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Holland#1366 · Bohdi#1366 · Jeriah#1366 · Shaya#1370 · Warner#1362 · Bernard#1362 · Perry#1370 · Jakob#1370
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kye? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kye and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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