Kyli
A feminine French name meaning "from the church village".
Name Census estimates that about 2,125 living Americans carry the first name Kyli. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kyli today is around 23 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kyli births was 2004 (101 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kyli. 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.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 161,296 Americans
Peak year
2004
101 babies that year
Average age
23
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,767
Tracked since 1977
Census
Kyli in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,944 people with the first name Kyli, which placed it at #7,723 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
#7,723
National first-name rank
People counted
1.9K
1,944 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.6
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
70.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyli
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyli is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Kyli 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 Kyli at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White70.2% · 1,365
- Black or African American11.2% · 217
- Hispanic or Latino8.0% · 155
- Two or more races6.7% · 131
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.0% · 38
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.0% · 38
Popularity
Kyli: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kyli from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 856 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kyli 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 Kyli during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kylis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Kyli, while Tennessee, Oklahoma, Indiana recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kyli
The name Kyli has its origins in the ancient Greek language, with roots dating back to the 5th century BCE. The name is derived from the Greek word "kylos," which means "crooked" or "curved." It is believed that the name was initially used to describe someone with a physical characteristic or a curved body shape.
In ancient Greek mythology, Kyli was the name of a nymph who was known for her beauty and grace. She was said to have been one of the companions of the goddess Artemis, the huntress and protector of nature. This association with a mythological figure may have contributed to the popularity of the name in ancient Greece.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kyli can be found in the writings of the Greek historian Herodotus, who lived in the 5th century BCE. He mentioned a woman named Kyli in his work "The Histories," which chronicled the Greco-Persian Wars.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kyli. One of the most prominent was Kyli of Tralles, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 2nd century CE. She was a follower of the Neoplatonic school of thought and wrote extensively on metaphysics and ethics.
Another famous Kyli was Kyli of Thebes, a Greek poet who lived in the 3rd century BCE. She was known for her lyrical poetry and was celebrated in her time for her skillful use of language.
In the Middle Ages, the name Kyli was less common but still appeared in various records. One notable bearer was Kyli of Reims, a French nun who lived in the 12th century CE. She was known for her piety and devotion to religious life.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kyli experienced a resurgence in popularity. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Kyli da Montalcino, an Italian painter who lived in the 16th century CE. She was renowned for her portraits and religious paintings, which can still be found in various churches and museums across Italy.
Another notable Kyli from this period was Kyli Gonzaga, a member of the noble Gonzaga family in Italy. She was a patron of the arts and played a significant role in promoting the cultural renaissance in her region.
While the name Kyli has ancient roots, it has remained in use throughout history, appearing in various cultures and regions around the world. Its association with mythology, philosophy, poetry, and the arts has contributed to its enduring appeal and cultural significance.
People
Kyli + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kyli 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
Kyli: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kyli?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,125 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kyli 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 161,296 US residents.
Is Kyli a common name?
We classify Kyli as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,171 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kyli most popular?
The single biggest year for Kyli was 2004, when 101 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kyli is about 23 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kyli in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,944 people with the name Kyli, or 0.64 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #7,723 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 Kyli 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 Kyli?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kyli leans strongly female. 1,913 people counted with this name were female (98.5%), compared with 29 male bearers (1.5%). 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 Kyli?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyli is White at 70.2%. The next largest groups are Black (11.2%) and Hispanic (8.0%). 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 Kyli most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kyli in the 2020 Census, accounting for 70.2% (1,365 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 Kyli in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kyli a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kyli in the SSA data are female. 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 Kyli still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kyli 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 Kyli 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 are called Kyli?
You can see how many people share the name Kyli on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.