Kayon
A masculine name of Native American origin meaning "protector of peace".
Name Census estimates that about 342 living Americans carry the first name Kayon. It is a predominantly male name (98.3% of registrations). The average person named Kayon today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kayon births was 2008 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kayon. 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 Kayon with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
342
~ 1 in 1,002,206 Americans
Peak year
2008
16 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,025
Tracked since 1982
Census
Kayon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 560 people with the first name Kayon, which placed it at #19,065 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,065
National first-name rank
People counted
560
560 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
84.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kayon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kayon is Black at 84.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kayon described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kayon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American84.3% · 472
- White4.5% · 25
- Two or more races4.3% · 24
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Kayon
Kayon leans heavily male at 98.3% of total registrations, but 6 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kayon as a male name
- Ranked #7,025 in 2024
- 12 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2008 (16 births)
Kayon as a female name
- Ranked #12,576 in 1993
- 6 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1993 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kayon on both sides of the split. Of the 554 people counted with this name, 310 were male (56.0%) and 244 were female (44.0%).
Popularity
Kayon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kayon from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 120 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kayon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kayon 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 Kayon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kayons live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kayon
The name Kayon originates from the Sanskrit language and has its roots in ancient Hindu mythology. It is believed to have derived from the word 'Kayu,' which translates to 'tree' or 'wood.' This connection to nature and the natural world is a recurring theme in the historical references and meanings associated with the name.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kayon can be found in the Mahabharata, an epic Sanskrit poem dating back to the 8th century BCE. In this ancient text, Kayon is mentioned as the name of a sage known for his wisdom and spiritual teachings. The name is also linked to the concept of 'Āranyaka,' which refers to the forest dwelling practices of ancient Hindu sages and ascetics.
During the Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 600 BCE, the name Kayon was associated with individuals who lived in harmony with nature and sought enlightenment through contemplation and self-discipline. It was a name often given to those who chose to abandon material possessions and embrace a life of simplicity in the wilderness.
In the 5th century CE, a renowned Hindu philosopher and teacher named Kayon Bhartrihari is recorded as having lived. He is credited with authoring several works on ethics, spirituality, and the pursuit of knowledge. His teachings and writings had a significant influence on the philosophical and religious traditions of the time.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kayon was a 12th-century poet and mystic from the region of present-day Kashmir. His poetic works, which often explored themes of love, devotion, and the search for divine union, are still celebrated and studied today.
In the 16th century, a Rajput warrior named Kayon Singh fought bravely against the Mughal Empire in the Battle of Panipat in 1526. His valor and sacrifice in defending his homeland have been immortalized in various historical accounts and folklore.
It is important to note that while the name Kayon has its origins in ancient Hindu traditions, it has transcended cultural and religious boundaries over time. Individuals from various backgrounds and regions have adopted the name, imbuing it with their own unique cultural and personal meanings.
People
Kayon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kayon 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
Kayon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kayon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 342 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kayon 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 1,002,206 US residents.
Is Kayon a common name?
We classify Kayon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 80.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 346 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kayon most popular?
The single biggest year for Kayon was 2008, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kayon is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kayon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 560 people with the name Kayon, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,065 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kayon in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kayon?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kayon on both sides of the split. Of the 554 people counted with this name, 310 were male (56.0%) and 244 were female (44.0%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kayon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kayon is Black at 84.3%. The next largest groups are White (4.5%) and Two or More Races (4.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kayon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kayon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.3% (472 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kayon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kayon a male name?
Yes, 98.3% of people registered as Kayon 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 Kayon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kayon 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 Kayon 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.
How many people have the name Kayon?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.