Kyle
Kyle is a unisex English-language given name. It is a transferred use of the Scottish surname Kyle or of place names such as Kyle, Ayrshire on the southwest coast of Scotland. Kyle is also a Scots word for a strait, derived from the Gaelic caol ("narrow").
- English
Meaning & Origin of Kyle
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kyle is a unisex English-language given name. It is a transferred use of the Scottish surname Kyle or of place names such as Kyle, Ayrshire on the southwest coast of Scotland. Kyle is also a Scots word for a strait, derived from the Gaelic caol ("narrow").
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Kyle
American parents first put Kyle on the record books as a baby boy name in 1881, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1990, when 22,710 Kyles were born — ranking #18 that year. About 37% of every Kyle on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kyle ranks #494 for baby boys with 626 births, falling sharply (-48%). All told, over 486K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Kyle
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kyle. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Chile
Names that sound like Kyle
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kyle is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kyle
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In which U.S. states is Kyle most popular?
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About the name Kyle
Kyle is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1881 and has accumulated 486K births in the dataset. Kyle's peak popularity came in 1990 when it ranked #18. Use the chart and map above to compare Kyle's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1990 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.