King
King was the 405th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 786 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 147th with 2,696 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 242 places. More babies were named King in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning king (word name) · English
Say it KING /kɪŋ/
- Rank in 2025
- #405 boys, down 234 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 786boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20172,696 babies
- Total since 1880
- 37,890babies recorded
What does the name King mean?
King is the English word for a male monarch, used as a boy's given name and nickname; Wikipedia lists people with King as a given name. The word comes from Old English cyning, which Wiktionary traces to a Germanic word built on 'kin, family', so a king was originally the leader of a family or people. King is also a common English surname, and Wikipedia lists people who use it as a given name or nickname.
cyning (Old English, “king”)*kunją (Proto-Germanic, “kin, family”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Kingston, Kingsley, Rex.
See also: English names, names that mean king or queen.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'king', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'King (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
King popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 40 since 1929.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #405 | 786 |
| 2020 | #171 | 2,268 |
| 2010 | #399 | 706 |
| 2000 | #1,597 | 74 |
| 1990 | #1,717 | 47 |
| 1980 | #1,985 | 28 |
| 1970 | #1,535 | 31 |
| 1960 | #1,064 | 53 |
| 1950 | #723 | 90 |
| 1940 | #700 | 75 |
| 1930 | #649 | 90 |
| 1920 | #607 | 108 |
| 1910 | #378 | 47 |
| 1900 | #391 | 33 |
| 1890 | #399 | 21 |
| 1880 | #331 | 27 |
How popular is King, counting every spelling?
King is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #377 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #405 for King on its own. Together these spellings went to 884 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| King | 786 | #405 | 6,789 |
| Kyng | 98 | #1,684 | 827 |
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 King?
786 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named King (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a boy named King 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named King.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named King?
About 33,500 people born in the US named King are alive today, with a median age of 10; half are between 6 and 13. That makes King 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.
King by state
How common King was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.7×), Georgia (2.4×), South Carolina (2.2×), Mississippi (2.2×), Nevada (2.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in West Virginia, Maine, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with King: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like King, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for King · Sibling names for King
King is also a nickname for Kingston and Kingsley.
Questions about the name King
What does King mean?
King means “king (word name)” (English origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name King?
King was the 405th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 786 babies. Its best year was 2017, when it ranked 147th with 2,696 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 242 places. More babies were named King in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is King a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name King in the US.
Where is King most popular?
In 2021–2025, King was most common in District of Columbia (2.91 per 1,000 boys), followed by Georgia and South Carolina.