Boy · #494 in 2026

Kyle

Name: Popularity of the name Kyle in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Kyle, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

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").

Current Rank

#494

Peak Rank

#18 (1990)

Total Babies

486K

5-Yr Trend

-48%

1915

First Year

2026

Last Year

1987

Peak Year

#594

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kyle

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

The Story of Kyle

Kyle first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1881, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1990, when 22,710 Kyles were born — ranking #18 that year. As of 2026, Kyle ranks #494 for baby boys with 626 births, falling sharply (-48%). In total, more than 486K Kyles have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

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.

Kile
Kyl
Cool
Call
Coal
Cal
Cole
Coil
Cull
Col
Coll
Cowl

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kyle

What does the name Kyle mean?

How popular is Kyle in 2026?

In 2026, Kyle ranks #494 among boys' names in the U.S., with 626 babies given the name that year.

When was Kyle most popular?

Kyle reached its peak popularity in 1990, ranking #18 that year with 22,710 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Kyle most popular?

Kyle has historically been most popular in Washington, Rhode Island, Wisconsin. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kyle.

Is Kyle a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Kyle is primarily a boy's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a girl's name.

What names go well with Kyle?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kyle include Louis, Roy, Leo. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.