Kaiven
An invented masculine name with unclear meaning or origin.
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Kaiven. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaiven today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaiven births was 2012 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaiven. 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
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
2012
13 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,352
Tracked since 2003
Popularity
Kaiven: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaiven from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 81 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kaiven remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaiven 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 Kaiven during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaiven
The name Kaiven is believed to have originated from a blend of two Scandinavian words, "kav" meaning "brave" and "ven" meaning "friend". This combination suggests a meaning of "brave friend" or "courageous companion". The name's roots can be traced back to the Viking era, around the 8th to 11th centuries AD, when the Norse people inhabited and explored regions of modern-day Scandinavia, Iceland, and Greenland.
While no definitive historical records exist to pinpoint the exact origin of the name Kaiven, some scholars speculate that it may have been used by Viking warriors or explorers to symbolize strength, loyalty, and camaraderie among their fellow kinsmen. The name's distinct sound and meaning could have made it an appealing choice for parents naming their sons during this era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaiven can be found in the 13th-century Icelandic saga, Njál's Saga, where a minor character bears this name. However, it is uncertain whether this was a fictional name or an authentic reference to an individual from that time period.
Throughout history, a few notable figures have carried the name Kaiven, though records are scarce. Kaiven Thorvaldsson (1542-1612) was a renowned Icelandic explorer who is credited with mapping parts of the Arctic region and establishing trade routes between Iceland and Greenland. Kaiven Eriksson (1687-1751) was a Swedish military commander who played a pivotal role in the Great Northern War against Russia.
In the realm of literature, Kaiven Björnsson (1812-1879) was a celebrated Icelandic poet and playwright, known for his lyrical works that captured the spirit of his homeland. Kaiven Magnusson (1867-1923) was a Norwegian artist and sculptor, whose works are displayed in several museums across Scandinavia.
More recently, Kaiven Johansson (1920-2005) was a Swedish physicist and academic, who made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics and received numerous honors for his work.
While the name Kaiven may have faded in popularity over time, its unique origins and meaning continue to resonate with those drawn to its Viking heritage and connotations of bravery, friendship, and adventure.
People
Kaiven + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaiven 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
Kaiven: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaiven?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaiven 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Kaiven a common name?
We classify Kaiven as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 149 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaiven most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaiven was 2012, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaiven 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 Kaiven in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaiven a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaiven 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 Kaiven still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaiven 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 Kaiven 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 have the name Kaiven?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.