Kid
A diminutive form of the English word "child," often used as a nickname.
Name Census estimates that about 0 living Americans carry the first name Kid. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kid today is around 0 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kid births was 1890 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kid. 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 Kid. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
0
~ - Americans
Peak year
1890
5 babies that year
Average age
-
1917 SSA rank
#4,293
Tracked since 1890
Popularity
Kid: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kid from the 1890s through to the 1910s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1910s, with 15 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
Kid 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 Kid 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 Kid
The name Kid is an English word that originated as a term used to refer to a young goat or the juvenile offspring of various other animals. It is derived from the Middle English word "kidde," which itself came from the Old Norse word "kid" meaning "young of a goat or other small animal."
In the 16th and 17th centuries, the term "kid" started to be used as a nickname or affectionate term for a child or young person. It was particularly common in rural areas where people were more familiar with goats and other farm animals. The earliest recorded use of "Kid" as a given name dates back to the late 17th century in England.
One of the earliest known individuals with the first name Kid was Kid Broderick (born around 1675), a notorious highwayman and outlaw who operated in the English countryside during the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Another notable early bearer of the name was Kid Curry (1867-1900), a member of the Wild Bunch gang of outlaws in the American Old West.
In the 19th century, the name Kid became more widely used, particularly in reference to young boxers or athletes. One of the most famous figures with this name was Kid McCoy (1872-1925), an American boxer and one of the greatest featherweight and welterweight champions of his era.
Another well-known individual with the name Kid was Kid Ory (1886-1973), an American jazz trombonist and bandleader who was an important figure in the development of early jazz in New Orleans. He was a contemporary of other jazz greats like King Oliver and Louis Armstrong.
In the 20th century, the name Kid remained relatively uncommon, but was occasionally used as a nickname or stage name for various entertainers and performers. One example is Kid Creole (born August Darnell in 1950), an American singer, songwriter, and bandleader known for his eclectic blend of musical styles.
While the name Kid has a long history and numerous notable bearers throughout the centuries, it has never been a particularly common given name in English-speaking countries. Its use has primarily been as a nickname or stage name, often associated with a sense of youthfulness, rebellion, or a connection to the outdoors and rural life.
People
Kid + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kid 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
Kid: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kid?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 0 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kid 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 - US residents.
Is Kid a common name?
We classify Kid as "Very Rare". It ranks above 2.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 25 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kid most popular?
The single biggest year for Kid was 1890, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kid is about 0 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 Kid in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kid a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kid 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 Kid still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kid 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 Kid 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 Kid?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.