Kair
An Arabic name meaning accomplishment or success.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Kair. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kair today is around 3 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kair births was 2023 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kair. 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 Kair. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2023
6 babies that year
Average age
3
years old
2023 SSA rank
#11,505
Tracked since 2023
Popularity
Kair: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kair 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 Kair during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kair
The name Kair has its origins in ancient Persia, where it was derived from the Persian word "kâr," meaning "work" or "action." This name first appeared in historical records around the 6th century BCE, during the reign of the Achaemenid Empire.
In ancient Persian culture, names often reflected virtues or aspirations, and Kair was likely given to individuals who were expected to lead a life of industry and productivity. The name's connection to the concept of work and action suggests that it may have been favored among artisans, craftsmen, or those engaged in physical labor.
One of the earliest documented references to the name Kair can be found in the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism. In the Avestan language, a variant spelling of the name, "Kairya," appears in several passages, though its precise meaning and context remain subject to scholarly debate.
Throughout the centuries, the name Kair has been borne by several notable figures. One of the earliest was Kair ibn Abdulmalik (670-705 CE), a Persian general who served under the Umayyad Caliphate and played a significant role in the Muslim conquest of Transoxiana.
Another prominent individual with this name was Kair al-Numan (953-995 CE), a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the development of spherical trigonometry and the study of celestial mechanics.
In the 12th century, Kair al-Din Shirazi (1236-1311 CE) was a Persian philosopher and scholar who wrote extensively on topics ranging from logic and metaphysics to ethics and mysticism. His works had a profound influence on the intellectual discourse of his time.
During the medieval period, the name Kair also gained popularity among the Seljuk Turks. One notable bearer was Kair al-Din Mahmud (1208-1277 CE), a Seljuk prince and military commander who played a crucial role in the expansion of the Seljuk Empire in Anatolia.
In more recent history, Kair Eddine El Khazraji (1858-1927) was a prominent Tunisian writer, poet, and intellectual who championed the cause of Arab nationalism and cultural revival during the late Ottoman period.
While the name Kair has ancient roots and a rich historical legacy, its usage has diminished over time, particularly in the modern era. However, its enduring connection to the virtues of hard work and industriousness continues to imbue it with a sense of honor and respect in the cultures where it originated.
People
Kair + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kair 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
Kair: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kair?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kair 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Kair a common name?
We classify Kair as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kair most popular?
The single biggest year for Kair was 2023, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kair is about 3 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 Kair in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kair a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kair 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 Kair still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kair 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 Kair 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 Americans are named Kair?
See how many people share the name Kair on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.