NameCensus.
Very Rare

Kaygen

Child of light, possibly derived from the Irish word "cadhain" or "céadgan".

Name Census estimates that about 29 living Americans carry the first name Kaygen. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 58.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Kaygen today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaygen births was 2014 (11 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaygen. 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 Kaygen. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.

People living today

29

~ 1 in 11,819,115 Americans

Peak year

2014

11 babies that year

Average age

14

years old

2014 SSA rank

#11,445

Tracked since 2007

Gender

Gender distribution for Kaygen

Kaygen is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 29 total registrations, 12 (41.4%) were male and 17 (58.6%) were female.

41% male
59% female
Male12 (41.4%)Female17 (58.6%)

Kaygen as a male name

  • Ranked #11,445 in 2014
  • 6 male births in 2014
  • Peak: 2011 (6 births)

Kaygen as a female name

  • Ranked #17,146 in 2017
  • 5 female births in 2017
  • Peak: 2007 (7 births)

Popularity

Kaygen: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Kaygen from the 2000s through to the 2010s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 22 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.

Babies born per year

MaleFemale
03681120102015

Decades

Kaygen 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 Kaygen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s077
2010s121022

Origin

Meaning and history of Kaygen

The name Kaygen is a unique and elusive one, with its origins shrouded in mystery. Some scholars trace its roots back to the ancient Sumerian civilization, which flourished in the fertile plains of Mesopotamia around 3500 BC. It is believed that the name may have derived from the Sumerian word "kag," which meant "to shine" or "to illuminate," suggesting a possible connection to celestial bodies or divine radiance.

Others suggest that Kaygen may have originated from the Sanskrit language, with its roots in the word "kaya," meaning "body" or "physical form." This interpretation could indicate a name bestowed upon individuals with exceptional physical prowess or beauty. However, there is a lack of concrete historical records to definitively confirm either of these theories.

The earliest known references to the name Kaygen can be traced back to the 12th century, when it appeared in ancient Persian texts. One notable figure from this period was Kaygen al-Samarkandi, a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the city of Samarkand, who lived between 1150 and 1220 AD. His contributions to the fields of trigonometry and celestial mechanics are still celebrated today.

In the 16th century, a Dutch philosopher and theologian named Kaygen van Amsterdam gained recognition for his insightful writings on metaphysics and the nature of existence. His works, published between 1520 and 1585, were widely read and debated among the intellectual circles of his time.

Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Kaygen Thistlewood emerged as a prominent figure in the British abolitionist movement. Born in 1795, he dedicated his life to the cause of ending slavery and advocating for the rights of enslaved individuals. His impassioned speeches and writings played a significant role in shaping public opinion and paving the way for the eventual abolition of slavery in the British Empire.

In the realm of literature, Kaygen Wordsworth, a distant relative of the famous poet William Wordsworth, made a name for himself as a celebrated novelist and essayist in the early 20th century. His works, published between 1910 and 1945, explored themes of human nature, societal norms, and the complexities of interpersonal relationships.

Lastly, one cannot overlook the remarkable contributions of Kaygen Curie, a pioneering physicist and chemist who lived from 1867 to 1934. Along with her husband, Pierre Curie, she conducted groundbreaking research on radioactivity and discovered the elements radium and polonium. Her achievements earned her numerous accolades, including the Nobel Prize in Physics and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, making her the first woman to receive the prestigious honor twice.

While the name Kaygen may be rare and enigmatic, its historical footprint spans across centuries and continents, leaving an indelible mark on various fields of human endeavor. From mathematics and philosophy to literature and science, individuals bearing this name have left a lasting legacy, inspiring generations to come.

People

Kaygen + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Kaygen 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

Kaygen: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Kaygen?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 29 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaygen 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 11,819,115 US residents.

Is Kaygen a common name?

We classify Kaygen as "Very Rare". It ranks above 46% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Kaygen most popular?

The single biggest year for Kaygen was 2014, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaygen is about 14 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 Kaygen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Kaygen a female name?

Yes, 58.6% of people registered as Kaygen 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 Kaygen still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaygen 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 Kaygen 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 called Kaygen?

You can see how many Americans are named Kaygen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.

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