Kayn
Of Persian origin, signifying one who is radiant or brilliant.
Name Census estimates that about 260 living Americans carry the first name Kayn. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kayn today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kayn births was 2021 (28 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kayn. 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 Kayn with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
260
~ 1 in 1,318,286 Americans
Peak year
2021
28 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,012
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Kayn: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kayn from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 126 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
Decades
Kayn 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 Kayn 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 Kayn
The name Kayn finds its origins in ancient Mesopotamia, specifically in the Sumerian language. It is believed to have derived from the word "ka-in," which means "to be strong" or "to endure." This name was prevalent among the Sumerian people who inhabited the region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, roughly around the 3rd millennium BC.
One of the earliest known references to the name Kayn can be traced back to the Sumerian King List, an ancient manuscript that records the names of rulers who governed various city-states in ancient Mesopotamia. It is here that a king named Kayn-Gal is mentioned, though the exact dates of his reign remain uncertain.
In the later Babylonian era, around the 2nd millennium BC, the name Kayn was associated with the god of war and battles, known as Nergal. This association likely contributed to the name's popularity among warriors and those seeking strength and resilience.
The earliest recorded individual with the name Kayn was a Sumerian scribe and scholar who lived around the 21st century BC. His name was Kayn-Ilu, and he is credited with creating one of the earliest known writing systems, the cuneiform script, which was used to record various literary works and historical accounts.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Kayn. One such individual was Kayn ibn Ishaq, a renowned Arab mathematician and astronomer who lived in the 9th century AD (801-873). He made significant contributions to the development of algebra and trigonometry.
Another famous bearer of the name was Kayn al-Din Pir, a Persian mystic and poet who lived in the 12th century AD (1145-1236). He is renowned for his spiritual writings and his influence on the Sufi tradition.
In the realm of literature, Kayn Hosseini is a prominent Afghan-American author who was born in 1965. He is best known for his novels "The Kite Runner" and "A Thousand Splendid Suns," which shed light on the experiences of Afghan people during times of conflict and turmoil.
Lastly, Kayn Massour is a contemporary Lebanese-American actor and filmmaker, born in 1980. He has starred in several popular television series and films, including "Homeland" and "Venom."
While the name Kayn has its roots in ancient Mesopotamian cultures, it has transcended geographical boundaries and found popularity across various regions and time periods, reflecting the diverse and rich tapestry of human history.
People
Kayn + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kayn 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
Kayn: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kayn?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 260 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kayn 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 1,318,286 US residents.
Is Kayn a common name?
We classify Kayn as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 262 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kayn most popular?
The single biggest year for Kayn was 2021, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kayn is about 9 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 Kayn in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kayn a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kayn 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 Kayn still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kayn 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 Kayn 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 Kayn?
Find out how many people have the name Kayn on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.