NameChart

Kay

Girl name

Kay has been given to 102,545 babies in the U.S. since 1882. It peaked in 1942.

Meaning & origin /ˈkeɪ/

Origin: Welsh

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Popularity over time births per year, 1880–2025

09061.811k2.717k3.622k 18801900192019401960198020002020 Girls Boys
Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

102,545

Peak year

1942 (3,718 babies)

Rank in 2025

Below top 1000

First recorded

1882

10-year trend

▼ -8%

Gender split

96% girls / 4% boys

Famous people named Kay

Xanana Gusmão

Prime Minister and former President of East Timor

Kay Ivey

Governor of Alabama since 2017

Missi Pyle

American actress and singer

Kay Bailey Hutchison

American politician (born 1943)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Names with a similar vibe

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Kay.

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