Kaiser
Kaiser was the 836th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 296 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 749th with 342 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 440 places. More babies were named Kaiser in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning emperor · German, Latin
Say it KY-zer /ˈkaɪzɚ/
- Rank in 2025
- #836 boys, up 31 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 296boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2022342 babies
- Total since 1880
- 3,955babies recorded
What does the name Kaiser mean?
Kaiser is the German word for 'emperor', from Old High German keisar, ultimately from the Latin name and title Caesar. It is also a German and English surname, originally a nickname for someone who acted like an emperor or played one in a pageant. As an American given name it is recent, a title name in the style of King or Rex. The Latin Caesar was the family name of Julius Caesar; its own meaning is unknown.
keisar (Old High German, “emperor”)Caesar (Latin, “Roman family name and title”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Caesar, Cesar, Kaizer.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kaiser', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Caesar', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (our computation), SSA (public domain)
Kaiser popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 34 since 2016.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #836 | 296 |
| 2020 | #867 | 261 |
| 2010 | #2,224 | 59 |
| 2000 | #3,585 | 23 |
| 1990 | #4,548 | 12 |
| 1980 | #5,896 | 6 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | #4,328 | 5 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | #3,081 | 9 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaiser, counting every spelling?
Kaiser is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #517 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #836 for Kaiser on its own. Together these spellings went to 583 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaiser | 296 | #836 | 1,602 |
| Kyzer | 117 | #1,503 | 753 |
| Kaizer | 150 | #1,301 | 715 |
| Kizer | 7 | #10,238 | 60 |
| Keizer | 5 | #13,002 | 41 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kaiser?
296 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaiser (0.08 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kaiser born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 28 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaiser.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaiser?
About 3,800 people born in the US named Kaiser are alive today, with a median age of 7; half are between 4 and 11. That makes Kaiser a young name: most people with it are children.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Kaiser by state
How common Kaiser was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (8.2×), Louisiana (5.8×), Alabama (4.0×), South Carolina (3.6×), Arkansas (2.9×). In 19 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaiser: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaiser, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kaiser · Sibling names for Kaiser
Questions about the name Kaiser
What does Kaiser mean?
Kaiser means “emperor” (German, Latin origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Kaiser?
Kaiser was the 836th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 296 babies. Its best year was 2022, when it ranked 749th with 342 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 440 places. More babies were named Kaiser in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Kaiser a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kaiser in the US.
Where is Kaiser most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaiser was most common in Mississippi (1.51 per 1,000 boys), followed by Louisiana and Alabama.