Kaye
Kaye was the 6442nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked 322nd; the most babies were born in 1947 (538). Over the last ten years it has moved up 996 places. More babies were named Kaye in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kay) short form of Katherine; Arthurian Sir Kay · English, Welsh
- Rank in 2025
- #6,442 girls, up 3,466 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 18girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1947538 babies
- Total since 1880
- 13,707babies recorded
What does the name Kaye mean?
Kaye is a spelling of Kay, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kay's meaning and origin.
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)
Kaye popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 503 since 1920.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #6,442 | 18 |
| 2020 | #9,908 | 10 |
| 2010 | #10,123 | 11 |
| 2000 | #5,230 | 22 |
| 1990 | #3,567 | 30 |
| 1980 | #2,029 | 52 |
| 1970 | #1,243 | 90 |
| 1960 | #579 | 291 |
| 1950 | #419 | 364 |
| 1940 | #341 | 355 |
| 1930 | #1,306 | 34 |
| 1920 | #1,681 | 25 |
| 1910 | #2,285 | 6 |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaye, counting every spelling?
Kaye is a spelling of Kay, 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 Kaye?
18 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaye (0.01 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kaye 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 465 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaye.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaye?
About 8,700 people born in the US named Kaye are alive today, with a median age of 71; half are between 63 and 79. That makes Kaye 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.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaye: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaye, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kaye
What does Kaye mean?
Kaye is a spelling of Kay, which means “short form of Katherine; Arthurian Sir Kay” (English, Welsh origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kaye?
Kaye was the 6442nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 18 babies. Its best year was 1943, when it ranked 322nd; the most babies were born in 1947 (538). Over the last ten years it has moved up 996 places. More babies were named Kaye in the 1940s than in any other decade.
Is Kaye a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kaye in the US.