Kay Name Popularity

Charts | Table | About | By Year

How popular is Kay?

The rare name Kay was the 2,707th Most Popular Girls Name in the United States in 2018.

Kay, although not presently in the top 1000, did once enjoy higher rankings.

Its highest popularity RANKING of #70 was reached in 1941.

Nonetheless, the name was given to the greatest number of children in 1942 with 3,624 occurrences.

The least number of children given the name Kay was less than 5, most recently in 1884.

Approximately during the years 1890-1893, 1895-1917, and 1926-1937, the name Kay took a definitive turn upwards in popularity whereas 1962-1972, 1973-1976, 1992-1996, and 2004-2009 were years of successive downward movement.

Sometimes the name Kay has been more popular as a girls name and sometimes it has been more popular as a boys.

Where is the name Kay popularity headed?

Currently, the name is at an extremely low point when compared to its most popular year.

For a number of years, the name Kay has remained mostly unchanged in popularity. however, the number of children named Kay lately has risen.

The name Kay is quite distinctive but has recently started to rise upward in popularity.

Relative to what it once was, Kay has fallen out of favor as a given name.

*Mouse over the charts or scroll down to the table for data details.

Mouse over or Click

for Percentages.

		Kay (Girl)		Kay (Boy)
Year	%	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank	No. of Babies Given Name	Popul. Rank
2018		63	2,707	6	11,417
2017		51	3,164	8	9,257
2016		46	3,431	5	13,201
2015		43	3,624	8	9,146
2014		60	2,862	6	11,421
2013		50	3,234	< 5	--
2012		52	3,188	< 5	--
2011		47	3,424	< 5	--
2010		47	3,437	< 5	--
2009		40	3,915	< 5	--
2008		46	3,554	< 5	--
2007		66	2,765	< 5	--
2006		62	2,826	< 5	--
2005		60	2,768	5	12,404
2004		67	2,514	7	9,454
2003		66	2,476	6	10,246
2002		79	2,128	< 5	--
2001		72	2,249	< 5	--
2000		74	2,163	< 5	--
1999		66	2,270	< 5	--
1998		70	2,094	5	10,475
1997		74	1,954	< 5	--
1996		67	2,073	6	8,469
1995		82	1,767	5	9,603
1994		88	1,694	7	7,371
1993		100	1,556	6	8,155
1992		104	1,511	5	9,125
1991		104	1,503	8	6,237
1990		114	1,391	5	8,814
1989		118	1,323	5	8,573
1988		141	1,105	9	5,007
1987		118	1,218	7	5,786
1986		128	1,130	7	5,649
1985		139	1,062	< 5	--
1984		147	983	6	5,979
1983		150	975	< 5	--
1982		151	982	8	4,813
1981		164	917	8	4,746
1980		153	969	5	6,767
1979		156	944	8	4,633
1978		155	917	6	5,428
1977		195	773	7	4,867
1976		191	758	7	4,679
1975		207	716	< 5	--
1974		239	640	9	3,701
1973		271	582	5	5,479
1972		251	621	6	4,722
1971		377	503	8	3,802
1970		476	455	8	3,676
1969		498	433	10	2,963
1968		636	353	9	2,995
1967		710	327	10	2,692
1966		856	295	9	2,884
1965		1,020	270	17	1,958
1964		1,302	243	18	1,939
1963		1,606	212	15	2,161
1962		1,878	197	20	1,838
1961		1,956	192	26	1,590
1960		1,927	192	29	1,501
1959		2,000	182	26	1,573
1958		2,239	169	25	1,570
1957		2,354	163	37	1,288
1956		2,395	154	27	1,518
1955		2,327	157	36	1,263
1954		2,506	146	36	1,257
1953		2,463	146	33	1,321
1952		2,769	133	35	1,257
1951		2,963	120	34	1,270
1950		2,627	123	32	1,277
1949		2,751	119	46	1,039
1948		2,943	113	42	1,100
1947		3,519	104	59	910
1946		3,357	101	44	1,039
1945		3,059	91	51	891
1944		3,170	88	69	750
1943		3,492	81	98	646
1942		3,624	75	96	656
1941		3,536	70	96	617
1940		3,200	77	124	523
1939		3,259	76	123	512
1938		3,114	81	120	532
1937		3,010	79	129	506
1936		2,408	98	137	483
1935		1,648	134	150	465
1934		1,430	143	159	448
1933		863	200	135	482
1932		658	239	124	522
1931		558	259	124	521
1930		351	358	105	587
1929		218	448	80	691
1928		223	463	84	692
1927		267	419	102	624
1926		224	457	77	727
1925		248	439	67	811
1924		302	395	77	768
1923		285	396	85	704
1922		281	391	63	868
1921		304	383	60	905
1920		313	370	65	839
1919		330	355	40	1,093
1918		311	368	58	877
1917		283	377	40	1,053
1916		272	380	46	944
1915		244	386	31	1,172
1914		215	361	25	1,175
1913		159	381	20	1,159
1912		143	386	17	1,154
1911		111	382	9	1,238
1910		106	382	6	1,510
1909		83	402	< 5	--
1908		75	418	6	1,300
1907		53	493	6	1,266
1906		42	547	5	1,337
1905		49	485	5	1,335
1904		39	532	< 5	--
1903		37	535	5	1,216
1902		26	659	5	1,230
1901		22	694	< 5	--
1900		26	714	7	1,111
1899		23	654	5	1,136
1898		14	942	< 5	--
1897		15	846	5	1,149
1896		13	927	< 5	--
1895		10	1,088	< 5	--
1894		14	826	6	1,021
1893		16	751	< 5	--
1892		7	1,219	< 5	--
1891		5	1,424	< 5	--
1890		5	1,423	< 5	--
1889		7	1,077	< 5	--
1888		6	1,212	6	989
1887		6	1,089	< 5	--
1886		6	1,037	< 5	--
1885		6	987	< 5	--
1884		< 5	--	< 5	--
1883		< 5	--	< 5	--
1882		< 5	--	5	1,019
1881		< 5	--	< 5	--
1880		< 5	--	< 5	--

United States name popularity data is provided by the Social Security Administration and is based on Social Security card applications.

Data for a given year is not made available until well into the next year.

Data reflects what was recorded and has not been edited for errors, so for example the gender associated with a name may be incorrect.

The more babies that are given a particular name, the higher the popularity ranking. If multiple names have the same usage, the tie is broken by assigning popularity rank in alphabetical order. Therefore in the case of names with fewer occurrences, names with the same number of occurrences may have vastly different rankings because they will be interranked alphabetically.

To safeguard privacy, the SSA does not include names with less than 5 occurrences.

Please note, we update the data each May when the SSA releases new figures. All data changes at that time, including previous years, which will change minutely based on new information.