Kane
Kane was the 451st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 695 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 319th with 1,055 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 23 places. More babies were named Kane in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin uncertain · Irish, Hawaiian
Say it KAYN /keɪn/
- Rank in 2025
- #451 boys, down 114 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 695boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20181,055 babies
- Total since 1880
- 19,557babies recorded
What does the name Kane mean?
Kane has several sources. Wiktionary gives the Irish Ó Catháin, "descendant of Cathán", a name based on cath, "battle"; Woulfe's 1923 index lists Kane among the English forms of this surname, alongside O'Kane, and also under Mac Aodháin, "son of Aodhán". Kane can also be an English, German or Jewish surname. Separately, Hawaiian kāne means "man, husband" and is the name of a major god, as Andrews' dictionary notes.
Ó Catháin (Irish, “descendant of Cathán”)cath (Irish, “battle”)kāne (Hawaiian, “man, husband; a god”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Several unrelated sources; which applies depends on the family.
Related names: Kaine, Cain, O'Kane, Keane.
See also: Irish names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kane', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Patrick Woulfe, Sloinnte Gaedheal is Gall: Irish Names and Surnames (1923), index of Irish surnames and their anglicized forms, M. H. Gill & Son (Internet Archive scan)
- Lorrin Andrews, A Dictionary of the Hawaiian Language, rev. H. H. Parker (1922), s.v. 'Kane', Board of Commissioners of Public Archives, Honolulu (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
Kane popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 36 since 1982.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #451 | 695 |
| 2020 | #337 | 965 |
| 2010 | #565 | 449 |
| 2000 | #594 | 333 |
| 1990 | #1,003 | 111 |
| 1980 | #1,384 | 47 |
| 1970 | #1,427 | 35 |
| 1960 | #3,494 | 7 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kane, counting every spelling?
Kane is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #283 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #451 for Kane on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,273 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kane | 695 | #451 | 4,134 |
| Cain | 185 | #1,142 | 1,153 |
| Kaine | 126 | #1,432 | 759 |
| Kain | 94 | #1,738 | 551 |
| Caine | 54 | #2,487 | 344 |
| Kayne | 49 | #2,666 | 294 |
| Kaan | 35 | #3,344 | 149 |
| Cane | 22 | #4,565 | 93 |
| Cayne | 13 | #6,522 | 89 |
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 Kane?
695 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kane (0.19 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kane 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 12 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kane.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kane?
About 19,200 people born in the US named Kane are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 6 and 22. That makes Kane 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.
Kane by state
How common Kane was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (2.2×), Louisiana (2.1×), Iowa (2.0×), Indiana (1.9×), Nevada (1.7×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Hampshire, Utah, Delaware.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kane: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kane, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kane · Sibling names for Kane
Questions about the name Kane
What does Kane mean?
The origin of Kane is uncertain: several unrelated sources; which applies depends on the family.
How popular is the name Kane?
Kane was the 451st most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 695 babies. Its best year was 2018, when it ranked 319th with 1,055 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 23 places. More babies were named Kane in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kane a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kane in the US.
Where is Kane most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kane was most common in Hawaii (1.22 per 1,000 boys), followed by West Virginia and Louisiana.