Kimi
A feminine Japanese given name meaning "one who is adored" or "secure".
Name Census estimates that about 1,802 living Americans carry the first name Kimi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 86.1% of registrations being female. The average person named Kimi today is around 38 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kimi births was 2014 (79 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kimi. 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.
People living today
1.8K
~ 1 in 190,208 Americans
Peak year
2014
79 babies that year
Average age
38
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,495
Tracked since 1915
Gender
Gender distribution for Kimi
Kimi leans heavily female at 86.1% of total registrations, but 290 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kimi as a male name
- Ranked #7,495 in 2024
- 11 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2014 (53 births)
Kimi as a female name
- Ranked #10,668 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1965 (66 births)
Popularity
Kimi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kimi from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 11 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1960s, with 462 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1960s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kimi 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 Kimi during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kimis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, New York, Hawaii recorded the most babies named Kimi, while Pennsylvania, Michigan, Oregon recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 74 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kimi
The given name Kimi has its origins in Japanese culture, with the earliest recorded use dating back to the 8th century. It is derived from the Japanese verb "kimi-ru," which means "to admire" or "to respect." This name was initially used for both genders, but over time, it became more commonly associated with females.
In ancient Japanese literature, the name Kimi appears in various works, including the Man'yoshu, the oldest existing anthology of Japanese poetry. This collection, compiled in the late 8th century, features several poems written by or dedicated to individuals with the name Kimi.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kimi was Kimi no Naishi, a prominent female poet who lived during the Heian period (794-1185). She was known for her contributions to the Kokin Wakashu, an influential anthology of Japanese waka poetry.
Another notable historical figure with the name Kimi was Kimi no Aritsune, a Japanese samurai who lived in the late 12th century. He was a skilled warrior and served under the powerful Minamoto clan during the Genpei War.
In the realm of Japanese art, the name Kimi is associated with Kimi Okada (1875-1942), a renowned painter and printmaker who played a significant role in the development of modern Japanese art. Her works, which often depicted traditional Japanese scenes and landscapes, are highly praised for their technical mastery and aesthetic beauty.
Moving to the world of literature, Kimi Shidara (1912-2003) was a celebrated Japanese novelist and essayist. She is best known for her novel "Furui e" (Old Pictures), which won the prestigious Noma Literary Prize in 1961.
In more recent times, the name Kimi has gained international recognition through Kimi Raikkonen, a Finnish racing driver who has competed in Formula One since 2001. Born in 1979, Raikkonen is widely regarded as one of the most talented and successful drivers of his generation, having won the Formula One World Drivers' Championship in 2007.
While the name Kimi has its roots in Japanese culture, it has transcended borders and gained popularity in various parts of the world, particularly in regions with strong Japanese cultural influences or connections.
People
Kimi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kimi 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
Kimi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kimi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,802 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kimi 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 190,208 US residents.
Is Kimi a common name?
We classify Kimi as "Rare". It ranks above 93.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,086 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kimi most popular?
The single biggest year for Kimi was 2014, when 79 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kimi is about 38 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kimi a female name?
Yes, 86.1% of people registered as Kimi 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.
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.