Fun Facts About the Name Kinsley
- A newer favorite: Kinsley first entered the U.S. top 100 in 2016 and stayed there through 2025 - a run of 10 consecutive years.
- More than 50 thousand babies named Kinsley: U.S. records list 50,209 babies given the name Kinsley from 1880 through 2025. Even 227 boys received the name Kinsley - about 1 boy for every 220 girls.
What Does the Name Kinsley Mean?
Kinsley is an English name from a place name. Its established etymology is Old English: the personal name Cyna (also given as Cyni) combined with lēah, meaning "wood," "glade," or "clearing." The literal sense is therefore "Cyna's woodland clearing."
The second element, lēah, is a common Old English place-name term and can refer to a wood, a clearing in a wood, or later a meadow. The first element is a personal name, not the word cyning ("king"), so the name means "Cyna's clearing," not "king's clearing." The similar name Kingsley has a separate origin from cyning plus lēah; Kinsley is not a variant of it.
Kinsley Name History & Origins
Kinsley began as the name of a place in England: the village of Kinsley in West Yorkshire, near Pontefract. The place name was formed in the Old English period from a personal name plus lēah.
Like many English place names, Kinsley became a hereditary surname when people moved away from the village and were identified by it. The surname is associated mainly with Yorkshire and northern England.
As a given name, Kinsley is a transferred use of that surname. It belongs to the modern English-speaking practice of turning surnames into first names. In current use it is chiefly a feminine name in the United States. It remains separate from the surname and given name Kingsley, which comes from a different place name.
How Popular is the Name Kinsley?
Kinsley recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2017. Kinsley entered the top 100 U.S. girl names in 2016.
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 | #93 | 2,671 | 0.1662% |
| 2024 | #85 | 2,929 | 0.1816% |
| 2023 | #68 | 3,198 | 0.1995% |
| 2022 | #61 | 3,700 | 0.2258% |
| 2021 | #57 | 3,885 | 0.2369% |
| 2020 | #59 | 3,776 | 0.2337% |
| 2019 | #74 | 3,509 | 0.2092% |
| 2018 | #63 | 3,879 | 0.2281% |
| 2017 | #59 | 4,051 | 0.2347% |
| 2016 | #86 | 3,377 | 0.1906% |
| 2015 | #113 | 2,786 | 0.1561% |
| 2014 | #131 | 2,447 | 0.1370% |
| 2013 | #161 | 1,981 | 0.1129% |
| 2012 | #179 | 1,759 | 0.0999% |
| 2011 | #218 | 1,460 | 0.0830% |
| 2010 | #307 | 1,046 | 0.0589% |
| 2009 | #428 | 743 | 0.0404% |
| 2008 | #562 | 547 | 0.0289% |
| 2007 | #757 | 386 | 0.0201% |
| 2006 | #885 | 301 | 0.0158% |
| 2005 | #945 | 262 | 0.0142% |
| 2004 | #1,207 | 186 | 0.0101% |
| 2003 | #1,238 | 170 | 0.0093% |
| 2002 | #1,305 | 150 | 0.0083% |
| 2001 | #1,454 | 130 | 0.0072% |
| 2000 | #1,610 | 110 | 0.0061% |
| 1999 | #1,947 | 81 | 0.0046% |
| 1998 | #2,261 | 63 | 0.0036% |
| 1997 | #2,011 | 71 | 0.0041% |
| 1996 | #3,334 | 35 | 0.0020% |
| 1995 | #2,818 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #3,014 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #4,467 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1992 | #3,829 | 28 | 0.0015% |
| 1991 | #4,273 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1990 | #5,173 | 18 | 0.0009% |
| 1989 | #4,439 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1988 | #6,474 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1987 | #4,380 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1986 | #8,106 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1985 | #4,966 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 1984 | #8,629 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #8,497 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1982 | #7,820 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #9,703 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #8,594 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #7,293 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,020 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2024 | #7,496 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2023 | #11,608 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2022 | #5,759 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2021 | #6,197 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2020 | #5,586 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #7,426 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2018 | #6,949 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #6,514 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #10,155 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #9,257 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2013 | #7,333 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #9,341 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2011 | #13,449 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2010 | #8,491 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2008 | #11,908 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2006 | #13,129 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 2002 | #11,691 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #11,572 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #6,393 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #9,659 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #9,616 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #7,606 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #6,000 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #5,895 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1982 | #6,045 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1981 | #6,821 | 5 | 0.0003% |
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.
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How the Name Kinsley 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 intuitive and might be interested in the arts, drama or science.
You are seeking freedom, opportunities to enjoy life: to make love, to go places and to do things. You are very adventurous and willing to take risk to achieve your objectives. New ways and new experiences can't satisfy your restless nature. One adventure leads you to another. You are honest and fair, because you know that this is the only way to receive justice and honesty from other people. But your personal growth is vital for you, and it is difficult to be tied down by rules and obligations. Your restless spirit might best controlled by choosing the field of work that meet your demand for action and adventure.
✦ Kinsley's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kinsley's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.