Fun Facts About the Name Kayan
- 660 babies named Kayan: U.S. records list 660 babies given the name Kayan from 1880 through 2025. Even 246 girls received the name Kayan - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Kayan Mean?
Kayan is a Persian masculine name meaning "king" or "royal," and an Arabic feminine name meaning "being" or "existence." The Persian name comes from Middle Persian kayān, the plural of kay, a royal title used by the legendary Kayanian kings of Iranian tradition. In modern Persian, the name is written کیان and is also transliterated as Kian or Kiyan. The Arabic name is the noun كيان (kayān), "entity, being, existence," from the root k-w-n, "to be." It is used as a female given name in some Arabic-speaking countries. The two names are not related; they resemble each other only in Latin-alphabet spelling.
Kayan Name History & Origins
The Persian name is tied to the Kayanians, a legendary royal line that appears in Zoroastrian tradition and in the Shahnameh, the Iranian epic. The title kay was borne by figures such as Kay Kavus and Kay Khosrow, and the plural kayān came to be used as a personal name. That name passed into modern Persian as کیان, with Kayan as one English spelling among Kian and Kiyan. The Arabic name developed separately from the common Arabic noun for "being" or "entity." It is not a borrowing of the Persian royal title, and the shared spelling in English does not point to a shared origin. In English-language use, Kayan appears as a given name, sometimes as a variant of Kian and sometimes as the Arabic feminine name.
How Popular is the Name Kayan?
Kayan has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2022. Its best rank was #3,067 in 2024.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,441 | 18 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #4,062 | 36 | 0.0022% |
| 2023 | #3,737 | 41 | 0.0026% |
| 2022 | #3,392 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2021 | #5,317 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2020 | #6,195 | 19 | 0.0012% |
| 2019 | #6,293 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2018 | #6,944 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2017 | #8,541 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2015 | #17,803 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2005 | #13,728 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,480 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2024 | #3,067 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 2023 | #3,756 | 30 | 0.0018% |
| 2022 | #3,823 | 29 | 0.0017% |
| 2021 | #4,070 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2020 | #4,085 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2019 | #4,411 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 2018 | #4,153 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2017 | #4,274 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2016 | #4,150 | 25 | 0.0013% |
| 2015 | #4,969 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2014 | #5,870 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2013 | #6,822 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #6,829 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #7,252 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #4,766 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2009 | #10,451 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #10,488 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 2007 | #9,345 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #8,403 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2004 | #9,463 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2002 | #8,941 | 7 | 0.0004% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
Explore More Lists with Name Kayan
Most Popular Boy Names That Start with K
Short Boy Names That Start with K
How the Name Kayan Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Kayan's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kayan's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.