Kayne
A modern masculine name of unknown origin and meaning.
Name Census estimates that about 2,320 living Americans carry the first name Kayne. It is a predominantly male name (99.4% of registrations). The average person named Kayne today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kayne births was 2008 (119 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kayne. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kayne with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Kayne is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 18 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.3K
~ 1 in 147,739 Americans
Peak year
2008
119 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,888
Tracked since 1956
Census
Kayne in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,868 people with the first name Kayne, which placed it at #7,916 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#7,916
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,868 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
62.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kayne
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kayne is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Black (11.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kayne described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kayne at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.1% · 1,160
- Two or more races11.3% · 211
- Black or African American11.2% · 209
- Hispanic or Latino10.3% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander3.2% · 59
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 37
Gender
Gender distribution for Kayne
Out of the 2,355 babies given the name Kayne since 1880, 99.4% were registered as male. The name sits firmly on the male side of the spectrum, with only a handful of female registrations across the entire dataset.
Kayne as a male name
- Ranked #2,888 in 2024
- 44 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (119 births)
Kayne as a female name
- Ranked #7,024 in 1962
- 5 female births in 1962
- Peak: 1956 (5 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kayne leans strongly male. 1,766 people counted with this name were male (94.1%), compared with 110 female bearers (5.9%).
Popularity
Kayne: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kayne from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 856 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kayne remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kayne by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Kayne during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaynes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. Texas, California, Ohio recorded the most babies named Kayne, while Virginia, South Carolina, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kayne
The name Kayne has its origins in the Gaelic language, specifically in the Scottish and Irish Gaelic traditions. It derives from the Celtic word "cain," which means "beautiful" or "handsome." The name was initially used as a descriptive term or nickname before becoming an established given name.
In ancient Celtic cultures, names often reflected physical attributes or personal qualities, and Kayne's roots align with this tradition. The earliest recorded instances of the name date back to the 12th century in Scotland and Ireland, where it was primarily used by Gaelic-speaking communities.
One of the earliest documented individuals bearing the name Kayne was Kayne MacAlpin, a Scottish nobleman and warrior who lived in the late 13th century. He is mentioned in various historical chronicles for his military exploits and loyalty to the Scottish crown during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
In the 16th century, Kayne O'Neill, an Irish chieftain from the prominent O'Neill dynasty, gained recognition for his leadership and resistance against English colonial forces in Ulster. His defiance and defense of Irish sovereignty left a lasting legacy in Irish history.
During the 17th century, Kayne MacDonald, a Scottish Highlander, became known for his contribution to preserving and promoting Gaelic language and culture. He was a renowned bard and poet, and his works played a significant role in maintaining the oral traditions of the Scottish Highlands.
In the 19th century, Kayne MacLeod, a Scottish explorer and naturalist, embarked on several expeditions to remote regions of the world, documenting flora and fauna. His scientific contributions and detailed accounts of his travels were highly regarded in academic circles.
Another notable figure was Kayne O'Donnell, an Irish playwright and author from the late 19th century. His works often explored themes of Irish identity, cultural heritage, and the struggles of the Irish people during the turbulent period of British rule.
While the name Kayne has its roots in Celtic cultures, it has since gained popularity and usage in various parts of the world, transcending its historical origins. However, its enduring connection to the Gaelic languages and the rich cultural heritage of Scotland and Ireland remains a significant part of its legacy.
People
Kayne + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kayne as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kayne: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kayne?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,320 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kayne going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 147,739 US residents.
Is Kayne a common name?
We classify Kayne as "Rare". It ranks above 94.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,355 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kayne most popular?
The single biggest year for Kayne was 2008, when 119 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kayne is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kayne in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,868 people with the name Kayne, or 0.62 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,916 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kayne in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kayne?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kayne leans strongly male. 1,766 people counted with this name were male (94.1%), compared with 110 female bearers (5.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kayne?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kayne is White at 62.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (11.3%) and Black (11.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kayne most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kayne in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.1% (1,160 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Kayne in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kayne a male name?
Yes, 99.4% of people registered as Kayne in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Kayne still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kayne in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Kayne can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people have the name Kayne?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.