Kincaid
Of Irish origin, a topographic name referring to the head of a coastal inlet.
Name Census estimates that about 442 living Americans carry the first name Kincaid. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kincaid today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kincaid births was 2001 (27 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kincaid. 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
442
~ 1 in 775,462 Americans
Peak year
2001
27 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,015
Tracked since 1993
Popularity
Kincaid: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kincaid from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 182 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kincaid remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kincaid 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 Kincaid during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kincaids live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kincaid
The given name Kincaid finds its origins in the Scottish Gaelic language and culture, tracing back to the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Gaelic words "cionn" meaning "head" and "cead" meaning "payment" or "tribute." This suggests the name may have initially referred to a person who collected taxes or tributes.
In the 12th century, the surname Kincaid emerged in Scotland, particularly in the regions of Stirlingshire and Lennox. The earliest recorded instance of the name is found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which document pledges of allegiance to King Edward I of England. One entry mentions a "Richard de Kyncade" from Stirlingshire.
While the name Kincaid does not appear in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is closely tied to Scottish history and clan lineages. The Kincaid family was prominent in the Scottish Wars of Independence against England in the 13th and 14th centuries. They were staunch supporters of Robert the Bruce and played a significant role in the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314.
One of the earliest notable individuals with the given name Kincaid was Kincaid of Park, who lived in the late 14th century and was a member of the Kincaid clan. Another prominent figure was Sir John Kincaid (1505-1572), a Scottish lawyer and judge who served as Lord Justice Clerk during the reign of Mary, Queen of Scots.
In the 17th century, Captain John Kincaid (1615-1687) was a Scottish soldier who fought for the Covenanters during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He later emigrated to the American colonies and settled in New Jersey. His descendants played a role in the American Revolutionary War.
Another notable Kincaid was Sir Robert Kincaid (1832-1920), a British naval officer and explorer who served as Governor of the Falkland Islands from 1888 to 1893. He was instrumental in establishing the British claim to Graham Land in Antarctica.
In literature, the name Kincaid appears in the works of renowned Scottish authors such as Sir Walter Scott and Robert Louis Stevenson. One of the most famous fictional characters with the name is Lieutenant Kincaid from Joseph Conrad's novel "Lord Jim," published in 1900.
While the given name Kincaid is less common today, it continues to hold historical significance and ties to Scottish heritage and clan traditions.
People
Kincaid + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kincaid 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
Kincaid: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kincaid?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 442 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kincaid 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 775,462 US residents.
Is Kincaid a common name?
We classify Kincaid as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 447 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kincaid most popular?
The single biggest year for Kincaid was 2001, when 27 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kincaid is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kincaid a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kincaid 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.
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.