Kin
Derived from the Japanese word meaning "golden" or "golden child".
Name Census estimates that about 248 living Americans carry the first name Kin. It is a predominantly male name (97.8% of registrations). The average person named Kin today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kin births was 1982 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kin. 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 Kin with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
248
~ 1 in 1,382,074 Americans
Peak year
1982
14 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2023 SSA rank
#9,811
Tracked since 1935
Census
Kin in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,138 people with the first name Kin, which placed it at #5,466 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
#5,466
National first-name rank
People counted
3.1K
3,138 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.0
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
81.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kin
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kin is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Black (4.7%). 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 Kin 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 Kin at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander81.0% · 2,543
- White10.3% · 322
- Black or African American4.7% · 148
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 80
- Two or more races1.2% · 39
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Gender
Gender distribution for Kin
Kin leans heavily male at 97.8% of total registrations, but 6 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kin as a male name
- Ranked #13,287 in 2023
- 5 male births in 2023
- Peak: 1989 (10 births)
Kin as a female name
- Ranked #9,811 in 1982
- 6 female births in 1982
- Peak: 1982 (6 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kin on both sides of the split. Of the 3,138 people counted with this name, 2,255 were male (71.9%) and 883 were female (28.1%).
Popularity
Kin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kin from the 1930s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 74 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kin 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 Kin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kins live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kin
The name Kin is derived from the Old English word "cyn," which means "family" or "race." It has its origins in the Germanic languages and was commonly used as a personal name among the Anglo-Saxons.
In ancient times, the name Kin was closely associated with kinship and family ties. It was often given to children as a way of emphasizing their connection to their clan or tribe. The name was also used to refer to members of the same lineage or those who shared a common ancestry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kin can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record that dates back to the 9th century. The chronicle mentions a figure named Kin, who was a prominent figure in the court of King Alfred the Great (849-899).
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kin. One of the most famous was Kin Hubbard (1868-1930), an American humorist and journalist known for his witty sayings and observations about life. Another prominent figure was Kin Platt (1911-2003), a British actor and playwright who appeared in numerous stage productions and television shows.
In the literary world, Kin Hubbard (1868-1930), an American humorist and journalist, was renowned for his insightful and humorous observations about life. His works, such as "Kin Hubbard's Scrap Book" and "Abe Martin's Almanack," were widely popular in the early 20th century.
In the realm of sports, Kin Balee (1940-2008) was a Thai boxer and actor who achieved great success in the Muay Thai circuit. He was a multiple-time champion and is considered one of the greatest Muay Thai fighters of all time.
Another notable figure was Kin Narita (1891-1938), a Japanese writer and poet who was part of the Shinkokugeki literary movement in the early 20th century. His works explored themes of human nature and the complexities of modern society.
While the name Kin may not be as common today as it once was, it carries a rich history and cultural significance, reflecting its roots in kinship, family, and ancestry.
People
Kin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kin 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
Kin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 248 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kin 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 1,382,074 US residents.
Is Kin a common name?
We classify Kin as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kin most popular?
The single biggest year for Kin was 1982, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kin is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kin in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,138 people with the name Kin, or 1.04 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,466 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 Kin 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 Kin?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kin on both sides of the split. Of the 3,138 people counted with this name, 2,255 were male (71.9%) and 883 were female (28.1%). 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 Kin?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kin is Asian/Pacific Islander at 81.0%. The next largest groups are White (10.3%) and Black (4.7%). 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 Kin most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.0% (2,543 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 Kin in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kin a male name?
Yes, 97.8% of people registered as Kin 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 Kin still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kin 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 Kin 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 common is the name Kin?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.