Fun Facts About the Name Kyle
- An all-time favorite: U.S. records show 485,764 boys named Kyle from 1880 through 2025.
- An established favorite: Kyle held a place in the U.S. top 100 for 36 consecutive years, from 1974 through 2009.
- More than 494 thousand babies named Kyle: U.S. records list 494,696 babies given the name Kyle from 1880 through 2025. Even 8,932 girls received the name Kyle - about 1 girl for every 54 boys.
What Does the Name Kyle Mean?
Kyle is a Scottish name meaning "narrow" or "strait." It comes from Scottish Gaelic caol, which describes something narrow or slender and is used especially for a narrow channel of water, such as a sound or strait. The name reached English through Scottish place names and the surname Kyle, not directly from a biblical or classical personal name.
The usual source is the district of Kyle in Ayrshire, Scotland, and other places named for narrow waterways, such as the Kyle of Lochalsh. In Ireland, the surname Kyle is sometimes an anglicized form of a different Gaelic surname, but that separate development does not change the common given name's derivation from Scottish Gaelic caol. The literal meaning is geographic; any later sense of "handsome" or similar is a customary interpretation rather than the word's basic etymology.
Kyle Name History & Origins
Kyle began as a Scottish place name and surname. The element appears in several Scottish coastal names for narrow straits, and the district of Kyle in Ayrshire was an old division of that county. The district was divided into Kyle Stewart, King's Kyle, and Kyle Cunningham. People from these areas took the surname Kyle, which became hereditary in Scotland and later spread to Ireland and England.
The given name Kyle developed from that surname rather than from a saint's name or a biblical figure. It has been used as a first name in Scotland and England and later in other English-speaking countries. Later fictional characters, including Kyle Reese in The Terminator and Kyle Broflovski in South Park, are uses of the name rather than sources of its origin.
How Popular is the Name Kyle?
Kyle remained among the top 100 boy names in the U.S. from 1974 to 2009. Its highest annual birth count was in 1990, and people born that year turn 36 in 2026.
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 | #6,701 | 17 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #4,511 | 31 | 0.0019% |
| 2023 | #4,613 | 30 | 0.0019% |
| 2022 | #5,402 | 24 | 0.0015% |
| 2021 | #4,287 | 33 | 0.0020% |
| 2020 | #3,365 | 46 | 0.0028% |
| 2019 | #3,585 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 2018 | #2,665 | 65 | 0.0038% |
| 2017 | #3,331 | 48 | 0.0028% |
| 2016 | #3,625 | 43 | 0.0024% |
| 2015 | #2,911 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 2014 | #2,602 | 68 | 0.0038% |
| 2013 | #2,923 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2012 | #3,195 | 52 | 0.0030% |
| 2011 | #2,976 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 2010 | #4,453 | 33 | 0.0019% |
| 2009 | #4,425 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2008 | #4,961 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 2007 | #3,822 | 42 | 0.0022% |
| 2006 | #3,447 | 47 | 0.0025% |
| 2005 | #3,845 | 38 | 0.0021% |
| 2004 | #2,333 | 74 | 0.0040% |
| 2003 | #2,624 | 61 | 0.0033% |
| 2002 | #3,177 | 45 | 0.0025% |
| 2001 | #2,680 | 56 | 0.0031% |
| 2000 | #2,763 | 53 | 0.0029% |
| 1999 | #2,272 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 1998 | #1,697 | 94 | 0.0053% |
| 1997 | #1,445 | 115 | 0.0066% |
| 1996 | #1,527 | 105 | 0.0060% |
| 1995 | #1,332 | 124 | 0.0071% |
| 1994 | #1,150 | 155 | 0.0087% |
| 1993 | #1,110 | 162 | 0.0090% |
| 1992 | #1,058 | 173 | 0.0094% |
| 1991 | #1,104 | 163 | 0.0087% |
| 1990 | #829 | 237 | 0.0125% |
| 1989 | #767 | 254 | 0.0138% |
| 1988 | #665 | 290 | 0.0163% |
| 1987 | #606 | 319 | 0.0183% |
| 1986 | #695 | 261 | 0.0152% |
| 1985 | #620 | 303 | 0.0176% |
| 1984 | #717 | 230 | 0.0137% |
| 1983 | #703 | 243 | 0.0145% |
| 1982 | #832 | 189 | 0.0112% |
| 1981 | #945 | 157 | 0.0094% |
| 1980 | #888 | 173 | 0.0104% |
| 1979 | #900 | 166 | 0.0103% |
| 1978 | #904 | 158 | 0.0103% |
| 1977 | #1,364 | 83 | 0.0054% |
| 1976 | #1,592 | 63 | 0.0043% |
| 1975 | #1,260 | 89 | 0.0061% |
| 1974 | #1,194 | 94 | 0.0064% |
| 1973 | #1,289 | 80 | 0.0055% |
| 1972 | #1,520 | 62 | 0.0041% |
| 1971 | #1,308 | 83 | 0.0050% |
| 1970 | #1,231 | 91 | 0.0052% |
| 1969 | #1,297 | 76 | 0.0045% |
| 1968 | #1,586 | 53 | 0.0032% |
| 1967 | #1,605 | 50 | 0.0030% |
| 1966 | #1,483 | 56 | 0.0033% |
| 1965 | #1,115 | 90 | 0.0051% |
| 1964 | #1,018 | 112 | 0.0059% |
| 1963 | #937 | 128 | 0.0066% |
| 1962 | #900 | 138 | 0.0070% |
| 1961 | #700 | 225 | 0.0111% |
| 1960 | #683 | 223 | 0.0110% |
| 1959 | #669 | 224 | 0.0111% |
| 1958 | #785 | 163 | 0.0081% |
| 1957 | #712 | 195 | 0.0095% |
| 1956 | #700 | 186 | 0.0093% |
| 1955 | #839 | 134 | 0.0069% |
| 1954 | #736 | 158 | 0.0081% |
| 1953 | #737 | 153 | 0.0081% |
| 1952 | #713 | 156 | 0.0084% |
| 1951 | #594 | 211 | 0.0117% |
| 1950 | #879 | 102 | 0.0060% |
| 1949 | #1,527 | 37 | 0.0022% |
| 1948 | #2,552 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1947 | #3,354 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1946 | #3,333 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1945 | #4,909 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1944 | #4,918 | 5 | 0.0004% |
| 1943 | #1,864 | 22 | 0.0016% |
| 1942 | #4,373 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1937 | #4,594 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| 1936 | #3,941 | 6 | 0.0006% |
| 1915 | #4,619 | 5 | 0.0005% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #509 | 594 | 0.0348% |
| 2024 | #439 | 716 | 0.0417% |
| 2023 | #419 | 755 | 0.0442% |
| 2022 | #394 | 807 | 0.0463% |
| 2021 | #363 | 897 | 0.0513% |
| 2020 | #314 | 1,055 | 0.0612% |
| 2019 | #262 | 1,386 | 0.0773% |
| 2018 | #223 | 1,680 | 0.0925% |
| 2017 | #211 | 1,839 | 0.0994% |
| 2016 | #199 | 2,039 | 0.1075% |
| 2015 | #175 | 2,392 | 0.1248% |
| 2014 | #179 | 2,388 | 0.1243% |
| 2013 | #155 | 2,589 | 0.1369% |
| 2012 | #127 | 2,967 | 0.1564% |
| 2011 | #120 | 3,268 | 0.1721% |
| 2010 | #107 | 3,580 | 0.1866% |
| 2009 | #99 | 4,179 | 0.2107% |
| 2008 | #97 | 4,705 | 0.2306% |
| 2007 | #86 | 5,354 | 0.2580% |
| 2006 | #81 | 6,150 | 0.2993% |
| 2005 | #69 | 6,688 | 0.3349% |
| 2004 | #55 | 7,826 | 0.3943% |
| 2003 | #53 | 8,651 | 0.4380% |
| 2002 | #40 | 10,063 | 0.5183% |
| 2001 | #40 | 10,568 | 0.5439% |
| 2000 | #37 | 11,969 | 0.6094% |
| 1999 | #28 | 13,774 | 0.7174% |
| 1998 | #24 | 15,276 | 0.7992% |
| 1997 | #24 | 15,920 | 0.8445% |
| 1996 | #25 | 15,600 | 0.8236% |
| 1995 | #24 | 16,761 | 0.8805% |
| 1994 | #24 | 18,398 | 0.9523% |
| 1993 | #23 | 19,455 | 0.9920% |
| 1992 | #22 | 20,714 | 1.0371% |
| 1991 | #21 | 21,610 | 1.0697% |
| 1990 | #18 | 22,710 | 1.1057% |
| 1989 | #20 | 20,879 | 1.0435% |
| 1988 | #21 | 19,896 | 1.0394% |
| 1987 | #22 | 19,866 | 1.0641% |
| 1986 | #23 | 19,315 | 1.0489% |
| 1985 | #27 | 16,520 | 0.8938% |
| 1984 | #34 | 12,547 | 0.6952% |
| 1983 | #34 | 12,372 | 0.6901% |
| 1982 | #47 | 8,208 | 0.4523% |
| 1981 | #52 | 6,571 | 0.3668% |
| 1980 | #57 | 5,776 | 0.3237% |
| 1979 | #56 | 5,450 | 0.3166% |
| 1978 | #63 | 4,517 | 0.2751% |
| 1977 | #79 | 3,506 | 0.2133% |
| 1976 | #80 | 3,309 | 0.2109% |
| 1975 | #88 | 2,832 | 0.1814% |
| 1974 | #97 | 2,599 | 0.1653% |
| 1973 | #110 | 2,373 | 0.1522% |
| 1972 | #113 | 2,477 | 0.1527% |
| 1971 | #116 | 2,825 | 0.1597% |
| 1970 | #120 | 2,764 | 0.1487% |
| 1969 | #143 | 2,135 | 0.1194% |
| 1968 | #148 | 1,943 | 0.1118% |
| 1967 | #138 | 2,139 | 0.1227% |
| 1966 | #146 | 1,954 | 0.1096% |
| 1965 | #210 | 1,169 | 0.0628% |
| 1964 | #191 | 1,478 | 0.0742% |
| 1963 | #180 | 1,628 | 0.0802% |
| 1962 | #176 | 1,712 | 0.0828% |
| 1961 | #232 | 1,159 | 0.0546% |
| 1960 | #220 | 1,262 | 0.0592% |
| 1959 | #237 | 1,146 | 0.0537% |
| 1958 | #247 | 1,011 | 0.0476% |
| 1957 | #241 | 1,033 | 0.0479% |
| 1956 | #344 | 470 | 0.0222% |
| 1955 | #363 | 403 | 0.0196% |
| 1954 | #361 | 402 | 0.0197% |
| 1953 | #359 | 360 | 0.0183% |
| 1952 | #352 | 381 | 0.0196% |
| 1951 | #369 | 343 | 0.0182% |
| 1950 | #431 | 239 | 0.0133% |
| 1949 | #564 | 144 | 0.0081% |
| 1948 | #586 | 130 | 0.0074% |
| 1947 | #549 | 151 | 0.0083% |
| 1946 | #622 | 107 | 0.0066% |
| 1945 | #670 | 81 | 0.0060% |
| 1944 | #628 | 96 | 0.0070% |
| 1943 | #578 | 121 | 0.0085% |
| 1942 | #589 | 112 | 0.0081% |
| 1941 | #546 | 119 | 0.0097% |
| 1940 | #614 | 94 | 0.0081% |
| 1939 | #572 | 101 | 0.0091% |
| 1938 | #691 | 77 | 0.0069% |
| 1937 | #563 | 106 | 0.0099% |
| 1936 | #593 | 96 | 0.0093% |
| 1935 | #541 | 114 | 0.0109% |
| 1934 | #647 | 87 | 0.0084% |
| 1933 | #702 | 74 | 0.0075% |
| 1932 | #699 | 78 | 0.0075% |
| 1931 | #675 | 79 | 0.0076% |
| 1930 | #660 | 89 | 0.0081% |
| 1929 | #693 | 80 | 0.0074% |
| 1928 | #746 | 74 | 0.0067% |
| 1927 | #624 | 102 | 0.0091% |
| 1926 | #689 | 85 | 0.0077% |
| 1925 | #706 | 84 | 0.0075% |
| 1924 | #699 | 88 | 0.0078% |
| 1923 | #818 | 68 | 0.0062% |
| 1922 | #734 | 81 | 0.0074% |
| 1921 | #847 | 67 | 0.0061% |
| 1920 | #702 | 85 | 0.0080% |
| 1919 | #932 | 52 | 0.0053% |
| 1918 | #798 | 67 | 0.0066% |
| 1917 | #703 | 75 | 0.0081% |
| 1916 | #786 | 62 | 0.0070% |
| 1915 | #745 | 65 | 0.0077% |
| 1914 | #829 | 42 | 0.0064% |
| 1913 | #1,011 | 25 | 0.0049% |
| 1912 | #727 | 35 | 0.0081% |
| 1911 | #1,085 | 11 | 0.0049% |
| 1910 | #803 | 15 | 0.0077% |
| 1909 | #928 | 11 | 0.0067% |
| 1908 | #919 | 10 | 0.0065% |
| 1907 | #1,053 | 8 | 0.0054% |
| 1906 | #826 | 10 | 0.0075% |
| 1905 | #880 | 9 | 0.0068% |
| 1904 | #786 | 10 | 0.0078% |
| 1903 | #964 | 7 | 0.0059% |
| 1902 | #983 | 7 | 0.0057% |
| 1900 | #1,113 | 7 | 0.0047% |
| 1899 | #908 | 7 | 0.0066% |
| 1896 | #1,052 | 6 | 0.0050% |
| 1895 | #937 | 7 | 0.0060% |
| 1894 | #701 | 10 | 0.0086% |
| 1893 | #875 | 7 | 0.0062% |
| 1892 | #1,024 | 6 | 0.0049% |
| 1891 | #810 | 7 | 0.0069% |
| 1890 | #1,086 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1889 | #1,042 | 5 | 0.0045% |
| 1888 | #730 | 9 | 0.0074% |
| 1881 | #949 | 5 | 0.0050% |
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.
Famous People Named Kyle
