Fun Facts About the Name Kye
- More than 5 thousand babies named Kye: U.S. records list 5,903 babies given the name Kye from 1880 through 2025. Even 346 girls received the name Kye - about 1 girl for every 16 boys.
What Does the Name Kye Mean?
Kye is an English given name, and it has no well-documented origin of its own. It is most often explained as a spelling variant of Kai, which means that its sense changes with whichever Kai is intended. The best-known Kai is Hawaiian, where kai means "sea" or "sea water." Kai is also a Frisian and Low German short form of longer given names, and a Japanese element meaning "sea," so "sea" is only one of several possibilities. Because Kye is chiefly a respelling rather than an independent form, its meaning is best described as uncertain unless a specific tradition is meant.
Kye Name History & Origins
Kye belongs to the group of English names that are respellings of existing names rather than forms with a separate recorded development. It matches the pronunciation of Kai, a name that reached English use from more than one direction: Hawaiian, Frisian and Low German, and Japanese. Kye is used in English-speaking countries, and its history is largely the history of Kai plus the English habit of simplifying and re-spelling familiar names.
In Scots, the word kye is the old plural of cow and means "cows," but this is a common noun and is not the source of the given name.
How Popular is the Name Kye?
Kye recorded its highest annual U.S. birth count in 2016. Its best rank was #693 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 | #14,134 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 2024 | #16,523 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2023 | #9,986 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #9,362 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 2021 | #11,688 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #7,772 | 14 | 0.0009% |
| 2019 | #11,932 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #12,004 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2017 | #5,755 | 22 | 0.0013% |
| 2016 | #8,655 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #10,532 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #6,871 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2013 | #10,656 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2012 | #11,806 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2011 | #12,818 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2009 | #14,535 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #7,591 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 2007 | #13,344 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2006 | #8,510 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #7,339 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 2004 | #9,605 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #8,810 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2002 | #16,910 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2001 | #7,990 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1999 | #9,184 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1998 | #7,805 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1997 | #8,072 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #14,723 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #10,072 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #9,989 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1990 | #7,109 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #9,302 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #10,421 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #6,843 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,369 | 136 | 0.0080% |
| 2024 | #1,195 | 171 | 0.0100% |
| 2023 | #941 | 240 | 0.0140% |
| 2022 | #870 | 277 | 0.0159% |
| 2021 | #889 | 260 | 0.0149% |
| 2020 | #815 | 284 | 0.0165% |
| 2019 | #796 | 288 | 0.0161% |
| 2018 | #760 | 310 | 0.0171% |
| 2017 | #760 | 310 | 0.0168% |
| 2016 | #693 | 356 | 0.0188% |
| 2015 | #980 | 211 | 0.0110% |
| 2014 | #1,105 | 173 | 0.0090% |
| 2013 | #1,212 | 148 | 0.0078% |
| 2012 | #1,181 | 154 | 0.0081% |
| 2011 | #1,151 | 157 | 0.0083% |
| 2010 | #1,206 | 148 | 0.0077% |
| 2009 | #1,208 | 150 | 0.0076% |
| 2008 | #1,398 | 122 | 0.0060% |
| 2007 | #1,363 | 123 | 0.0059% |
| 2006 | #1,442 | 108 | 0.0053% |
| 2005 | #1,250 | 127 | 0.0064% |
| 2004 | #1,464 | 94 | 0.0047% |
| 2003 | #1,322 | 105 | 0.0053% |
| 2002 | #1,249 | 109 | 0.0056% |
| 2001 | #1,652 | 71 | 0.0037% |
| 2000 | #1,598 | 74 | 0.0038% |
| 1999 | #1,918 | 51 | 0.0027% |
| 1998 | #2,223 | 41 | 0.0021% |
| 1997 | #1,984 | 46 | 0.0024% |
| 1996 | #2,317 | 35 | 0.0018% |
| 1995 | #1,902 | 45 | 0.0024% |
| 1994 | #2,000 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 1993 | #1,921 | 43 | 0.0022% |
| 1992 | #1,946 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 1991 | #1,816 | 44 | 0.0022% |
| 1990 | #2,147 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #2,048 | 35 | 0.0017% |
| 1988 | #1,972 | 33 | 0.0017% |
| 1987 | #1,851 | 35 | 0.0019% |
| 1986 | #2,197 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 1985 | #2,104 | 27 | 0.0015% |
| 1984 | #2,581 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1983 | #2,246 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1982 | #3,410 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 1981 | #2,841 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1980 | #3,036 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1979 | #3,709 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1978 | #3,520 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1977 | #3,297 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1976 | #3,385 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1975 | #3,563 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1974 | #2,412 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 1973 | #3,587 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1972 | #3,498 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 1971 | #4,186 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1970 | #2,805 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 1969 | #4,192 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1968 | #3,253 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1966 | #4,267 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1964 | #4,352 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1963 | #3,202 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1962 | #2,958 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 1961 | #3,528 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1960 | #3,871 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1959 | #3,443 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1958 | #3,439 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1956 | #2,887 | 9 | 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.
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How the Name Kye 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 inventive, intuitive and extremely methodical. Since your will is so strong, you are hard to convince. You also dislike advice. You love beauty and philosophy, and you desire achievement. You have a strong need for freedom - physical, mental and spiritual.
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.
✦ Kye's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kye's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.