Kinsley
Kinsley was the 93rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,671 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 57th; the most babies were born in 2017 (4,053). Over the last ten years it has moved up 20 places. More babies were named Kinsley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Cyne's clearing (place name) · Old English
Say it KINZ-lee /ˈkɪnzli/
- Rank in 2025
- #93 girls, down 34 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 2,671girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20174,053 babies
- Total since 1880
- 50,243babies recorded
What does the name Kinsley mean?
Kinsley is an English surname from a place name, such as the village of Kinsley in West Yorkshire. Wiktionary analyses it as the Old English man's name Cyne, built on a word meaning 'royal', plus a possessive -s and leah, 'woodland clearing', so 'Cyne's clearing'. Wikipedia describes the girl's name as a transfer of the place name and surname, popular in the US since the 2000s. It is close in sound and form to Kingsley, which has a different first element, 'king'.
Cyne (Old English, “man's name ('royal')”)lēah (Old English, “woodland clearing”)
How sure is this? Probable. The leah element is certain; the personal-name first element is the dictionary analysis but not independently confirmed.
Related names: Kinslee, Kingsley, Kinzley.
See also: English names, names that mean meadow, hill or valley, names from places.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kinsley', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
- Wikipedia, 'Kinsley (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Kinsley popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 227 since 1981, 12 in 2025.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #93 | 2,671 |
| 2020 | #59 | 3,780 |
| 2010 | #307 | 1,046 |
| 2000 | #1,611 | 110 |
| 1990 | #5,172 | 18 |
| 1980 | #8,594 | 7 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kinsley, counting every spelling?
Kinsley is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #91 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #93 for Kinsley on its own. Together these spellings went to 3,338 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinsley | 2,671 | #93 | 16,402 |
| Kinslee | 269 | #956 | 1,615 |
| Kinzley | 102 | #1,904 | 749 |
| Kynslee | 85 | #2,181 | 480 |
| Kinzlee | 72 | #2,473 | 416 |
| Kynzlee | 31 | #4,503 | 259 |
| Kynsley | 44 | #3,495 | 253 |
| Kynzley | 13 | #8,128 | 65 |
| Kynslie | 7 | #12,598 | 64 |
| Kinslie | 12 | #8,625 | 64 |
| Kynzlie | 5 | #16,227 | 44 |
| Kinzlie | 11 | #9,186 | 40 |
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 Kinsley?
2,671 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kinsley (0.74 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kinsley 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 3 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kinsley.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kinsley?
About 49,700 people born in the US named Kinsley are alive today, with a median age of 8; half are between 4 and 11. That makes Kinsley 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.
Kinsley by state
How common Kinsley was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in West Virginia (3.9×), Vermont (3.4×), New Hampshire (3.2×), Mississippi (3.2×), South Dakota (3.0×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in District of Columbia, California, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kinsley: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kinsley, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kinsley · Sibling names for Kinsley
Questions about the name Kinsley
What does Kinsley mean?
Kinsley means “Cyne's clearing (place name)” (Old English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kinsley?
Kinsley was the 93rd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 2,671 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 57th; the most babies were born in 2017 (4,053). Over the last ten years it has moved up 20 places. More babies were named Kinsley in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kinsley a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kinsley in the US.
Where is Kinsley most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kinsley was most common in West Virginia (7.90 per 1,000 girls), followed by Vermont and New Hampshire.