Kaiming
An East Asian name with the meaning "to open or initiate intelligence".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Kaiming. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaiming today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaiming births was 2015 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaiming. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kaiming. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2015
5 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2015 SSA rank
#13,040
Tracked since 2015
Popularity
Kaiming: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaiming 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 Kaiming during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaiming
The name Kaiming has its origins in Chinese culture and language. It is a combination of two Chinese characters, "Kai" meaning "victory" or "open," and "Ming" meaning "bright" or "brilliant." The earliest known use of this name dates back to ancient Chinese history, where it was given to individuals as a symbol of hope and aspiration for a bright and successful future.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kaiming can be found in the Shiji, an ancient Chinese historical text written by Sima Qian during the Han Dynasty (209 BC - 220 AD). This text chronicles the lives and achievements of various historical figures, including some who bore the name Kaiming.
Throughout Chinese history, several notable individuals have carried the name Kaiming. One such person was Kaiming Chen (1924-2009), a renowned Chinese mathematician and statistician who made significant contributions to the field of probability theory and its applications. Another prominent figure was Kaiming Chiu (1915-2005), a respected Chinese artist and painter known for his ink and watercolor works depicting traditional Chinese landscapes and scenes.
In the realm of literature, Kaiming Xie (1369-1464) was a celebrated Ming Dynasty poet and scholar. His poetic works, which often explored themes of nature and the human experience, are still studied and appreciated today.
The name Kaiming also found its way into the annals of Chinese Buddhism. Kaiming Shen (1590-1676) was a revered Buddhist monk and calligrapher during the Qing Dynasty. He is renowned for his contributions to the development of the Linji School of Chan Buddhism and his masterful calligraphic works.
Moving into more recent times, Kaiming Ye (1936-2014) was a prominent Chinese physicist and academician. He made significant contributions to the field of particle physics and was instrumental in the development of China's nuclear energy program.
These are just a few examples of notable individuals who have carried the name Kaiming throughout history. The name's rich heritage and symbolic meaning have endured across centuries, reflecting the enduring influence of Chinese culture and language.
People
Kaiming + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaiming 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
Kaiming: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaiming?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaiming 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Kaiming a common name?
We classify Kaiming as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaiming most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaiming was 2015, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaiming is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Kaiming in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaiming a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaiming 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 Kaiming still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaiming 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 Kaiming 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Kaiming?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.