Kay
Kay was the 3946th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 37 babies. Its best year was 1941, when it ranked 70th; the most babies were born in 1942 (3,622). Over the last ten years it has moved down 314 places. More babies were named Kay in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning short form of Katherine; Arthurian Sir Kay · English, Welsh
Say it KAY /keɪ/
- Rank in 2025
- #3,946 girls, down 369 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 37girls
- Girls and boys
- 79% girls, 21% boys2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19423,622 babies
- Total since 1880
- 102,545babies recorded
What does the name Kay mean?
Kay is a short form of Katherine and other girls' names beginning with K, often used as a middle name, as Wiktionary notes. As a boys' name it comes from Sir Kay of Arthurian legend, Welsh Cai, usually thought to come from Latin Gaius (Caius), and from surnames. Katherine is Greek Aikaterinē, of uncertain origin.
Cai (Welsh, “Sir Kay (perhaps from Latin Gaius)”)
How sure is this? Probable. The Latin source of Cai is the usual view, not proven.
Related names: Katherine, Kaye, Kai, Kate.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kay', Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Katherine', DMNES (Durham University)
Kay popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Rank (boys) | Babies (girls) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #3,946 | #7,951 | 37 | 10 |
| 2020 | #3,577 | #7,805 | 42 | 10 |
| 2010 | #3,443 | — | 47 | — |
| 2000 | #2,163 | — | 74 | — |
| 1990 | #1,393 | #8,823 | 114 | 5 |
| 1980 | #969 | #6,766 | 153 | 5 |
| 1970 | #455 | #3,677 | 476 | 8 |
| 1960 | #192 | #1,504 | 1,925 | 29 |
| 1950 | #123 | #1,278 | 2,628 | 32 |
| 1940 | #77 | #522 | 3,200 | 124 |
| 1930 | #358 | #588 | 351 | 105 |
| 1920 | #370 | #839 | 313 | 65 |
| 1910 | #382 | #1,510 | 106 | 6 |
| 1900 | #714 | #1,111 | 26 | 7 |
| 1890 | #1,423 | — | 5 | — |
| 1880 | — | — | — | — |
How popular is Kay, counting every spelling?
Kay is the most common spelling of a name family that had 55 girls in 2025 across its spellings. Together these spellings went to 55 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kay | 37 | #3,946 | 212 |
| Kaye | 18 | #6,442 | 64 |
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 Kay?
37 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kay (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kay 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 226 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kay.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kay?
About 58,900 people born in the US named Kay are alive today, with a median age of 73; half are between 65 and 81. That makes Kay a name most people associate with older generations.
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.
Kay by state
How common Kay was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. In 50 states fewer than five girls 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 Kay: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kay, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kay · Sibling names for Kay
Kay is also a nickname for Katherine and Kathleen.
Questions about the name Kay
What does Kay mean?
Kay means “short form of Katherine; Arthurian Sir Kay” (English, Welsh origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kay?
Kay was the 3946th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 37 babies. Its best year was 1941, when it ranked 70th; the most babies were born in 1942 (3,622). Over the last ten years it has moved down 314 places. More babies were named Kay in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Kay a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, 79% girls, 21% boys given the name Kay in the US.
Where is Kay most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kay was most common in Texas (0.03 per 1,000 girls).