Kaiyan
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "strong and safe".
Name Census estimates that about 273 living Americans carry the first name Kaiyan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaiyan today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaiyan births was 2012 (25 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaiyan. 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 Kaiyan with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
273
~ 1 in 1,255,510 Americans
Peak year
2012
25 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,536
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Kaiyan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaiyan 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 163 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kaiyan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaiyan 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 Kaiyan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaiyans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaiyan
The name Kaiyan is believed to have its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient language of the Indian subcontinent. The name is derived from the Sanskrit word "kaya," which means "body" or "physical form." In Hindu philosophy, the body is considered a vessel for the soul, and the name Kaiyan may have been bestowed upon individuals to symbolize their physical manifestation or embodiment.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaiyan can be traced back to the Mahabharata, a revered Hindu epic poem composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. In this ancient text, Kaiyan is mentioned as the name of a minor character, though the specific details surrounding their role or significance are not widely documented.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Kaiyan. In the 12th century, Kaiyan al-Hafiz was a renowned Persian scholar and poet who made significant contributions to the literary and cultural landscape of the time. Born in 1119 in the city of Shiraz, he is celebrated for his mastery of the Persian language and his influential works, which continue to be studied and revered to this day.
Another famous individual named Kaiyan was Kaiyan Khodadad, a Persian Zoroastrian painter and calligrapher who lived in the 17th century. Known for his exquisite miniature paintings and intricate calligraphic works, Kaiyan Khodadad's artistic creations have been preserved in various museums and collections around the world, serving as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of Persia.
In more recent times, Kaiyan Kulkami, born in 1923 in Maharashtra, India, was a prominent figure in the field of Indian classical music. A respected vocalist and teacher, Kulkami contributed significantly to the preservation and promotion of the Khayal style of Indian classical music, earning him numerous accolades and recognition for his lifelong dedication to the art form.
Another noteworthy individual with the name Kaiyan was Kaiyan Mukherjee, an Indian filmmaker and screenwriter born in 1940. Known for his thought-provoking and socially conscious films, Mukherjee's works often explored themes of social injustice, poverty, and the human condition. His films, such as "Calcutta 71" and "Coolie," received critical acclaim and brought attention to the struggles faced by marginalized communities in India.
While the name Kaiyan has its roots in ancient Sanskrit, it has transcended cultural and geographical boundaries, with individuals from various backgrounds bearing this name throughout history. The name's connection to the physical form and embodiment has endured, serving as a reminder of the enduring legacy and cultural significance of names and their meanings.
People
Kaiyan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaiyan 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
Kaiyan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaiyan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 273 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaiyan 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 1,255,510 US residents.
Is Kaiyan a common name?
We classify Kaiyan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 275 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaiyan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaiyan was 2012, when 25 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaiyan is about 10 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 Kaiyan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaiyan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaiyan 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 Kaiyan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaiyan 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 Kaiyan 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 are named Kaiyan?
Want to know how many Americans are named Kaiyan? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.