Fun Facts About the Name Kylin
- More than 3 thousand babies named Kylin: U.S. records list 3,447 babies given the name Kylin from 1880 through 2025. Of these, 1,356 girls received the name Kylin - about 1 girl for every 2 boys.
What Does the Name Kylin Mean?
Kylin is an English spelling of the Chinese word qílín (麒麟), the name of a mythical animal in Chinese tradition. The word is written with two characters, 麒 qí and 麟 lín. Traditional Chinese glosses treat 麒 as the male of the creature and 麟 as the female, so the pair qílín names the animal as a whole rather than combining two descriptive words into a phrase. The history of the term before these characters is not settled.
Because the qilin is usually described as a single-horned beast with a deer's body, an ox's tail, and hooves, sometimes with scales or a dragon-like head, English writers have long called it a "Chinese unicorn." That is a customary description of the animal, not a literal translation of the name. The good fortune attached to the qilin comes from its role in legend, not from the meaning of its parts.
Kylin Name History & Origins
麒麟 appears in early Chinese texts. The Classic of Poetry (Shijing) mentions the 麟, and the Spring and Autumn Annals (Chunqiu) records that in 481 BCE a qilin was taken in a hunt west of the state of Lu; tradition holds that Confucius read the capture as a bad sign and stopped writing. In later imperial thought the qilin became an emblem of good government, and its appearance was said to attend the rule of a virtuous king.
The creature was carved, painted, and embroidered in palaces, temples, and tombs for centuries. In 1414, during the Ming dynasty, giraffes brought to the court of the Yongle Emperor by the fleets of Zheng He - animals that came originally from East Africa and were presented through Bengal - were identified with the qilin, an equation recorded in court painting and verse.
The characters 麒麟 are read qílín in Mandarin, kirin in Japanese, and girin in Korean. Kylin is one of several Western romanizations used alongside qilin and kirin; the kyl- spelling appears in older English and German writing about China.
As a given name in the English-speaking world, Kylin is uncommon and is used for both boys and girls. The route by which individual bearers received it - from the Chinese word, or from familiar English sounds such as Kyle or the ending -lyn - is not documented, and the Chinese and non-Chinese uses should not be assumed to share one origin.
How Popular is the Name Kylin?
Kylin 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 #1,286 in 2022.
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 | #4,414 | 32 | 0.0020% |
| 2024 | #3,917 | 38 | 0.0024% |
| 2023 | #3,874 | 39 | 0.0024% |
| 2022 | #3,141 | 52 | 0.0032% |
| 2021 | #3,975 | 37 | 0.0023% |
| 2020 | #3,468 | 44 | 0.0027% |
| 2019 | #3,586 | 43 | 0.0026% |
| 2018 | #3,186 | 51 | 0.0030% |
| 2017 | #3,959 | 38 | 0.0022% |
| 2016 | #2,949 | 57 | 0.0032% |
| 2015 | #2,634 | 68 | 0.0038% |
| 2014 | #2,763 | 63 | 0.0035% |
| 2013 | #2,677 | 66 | 0.0038% |
| 2012 | #3,440 | 47 | 0.0027% |
| 2011 | #2,472 | 74 | 0.0042% |
| 2010 | #2,884 | 60 | 0.0034% |
| 2009 | #2,664 | 69 | 0.0038% |
| 2008 | #3,008 | 58 | 0.0031% |
| 2007 | #3,196 | 54 | 0.0028% |
| 2006 | #3,157 | 53 | 0.0028% |
| 2005 | #4,316 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #3,601 | 41 | 0.0022% |
| 2003 | #3,990 | 34 | 0.0019% |
| 2002 | #5,007 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2001 | #7,156 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2000 | #6,100 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1999 | #6,684 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #5,255 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 1997 | #4,931 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1996 | #5,190 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 1995 | #6,450 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1994 | #10,074 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #10,092 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1992 | #6,164 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1991 | #8,308 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #12,163 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1988 | #9,819 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1987 | #10,548 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,739 | 94 | 0.0055% |
| 2024 | #1,511 | 118 | 0.0069% |
| 2023 | #1,408 | 130 | 0.0076% |
| 2022 | #1,286 | 149 | 0.0085% |
| 2021 | #1,465 | 123 | 0.0070% |
| 2020 | #1,558 | 106 | 0.0061% |
| 2019 | #1,488 | 115 | 0.0064% |
| 2018 | #2,021 | 72 | 0.0040% |
| 2017 | #1,851 | 80 | 0.0043% |
| 2016 | #1,896 | 78 | 0.0041% |
| 2015 | #1,882 | 78 | 0.0041% |
| 2014 | #1,808 | 83 | 0.0043% |
| 2013 | #1,821 | 79 | 0.0042% |
| 2012 | #2,120 | 64 | 0.0034% |
| 2011 | #2,221 | 59 | 0.0031% |
| 2010 | #1,862 | 78 | 0.0041% |
| 2009 | #2,132 | 64 | 0.0032% |
| 2008 | #2,859 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 2007 | #2,628 | 47 | 0.0023% |
| 2006 | #2,772 | 42 | 0.0020% |
| 2005 | #3,060 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 2004 | #2,590 | 42 | 0.0021% |
| 2003 | #2,192 | 50 | 0.0025% |
| 2002 | #2,532 | 39 | 0.0020% |
| 2001 | #2,102 | 50 | 0.0026% |
| 2000 | #2,712 | 34 | 0.0017% |
| 1999 | #3,330 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #3,791 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #3,980 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1996 | #3,351 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 1995 | #5,734 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #6,731 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1993 | #8,221 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #6,441 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 1991 | #6,958 | 7 | 0.0003% |
| 1990 | #8,896 | 5 | 0.0002% |
| 1989 | #4,683 | 11 | 0.0005% |
| 1987 | #7,629 | 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 Kylin 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.
Position and social status is very important for you and you are always looking for way to improve your position in society. You have power and ability to chose your own destiny and achieve anything you want in life. You can expand in any direction according to your will and the set of values. You have passion for justice and belong to the position of authority. You have an inherent courage and endurance to accomplish "The Impossible Dream". With the power comes responsibility. You hold keys to the material world, but with this gift comes high spiritual responsibility to be fair and true to others. You are philosophical and mature, determined and intense with a desire to endure, often religious.
✦ Kylin's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kylin's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.