Kingsly
A masculine name of English origin meaning "king's meadow".
Name Census estimates that about 104 living Americans carry the first name Kingsly. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kingsly today is around 10 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kingsly births was 2013 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kingsly. 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
104
~ 1 in 3,295,715 Americans
Peak year
2013
11 babies that year
Average age
10
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,444
Tracked since 2007
Popularity
Kingsly: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kingsly from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 73 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kingsly remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kingsly 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 Kingsly 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 Kingsly
The given name Kingsly is an English name with roots tracing back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Old English words "cyne" meaning "royal" or "kingly" and "leah" meaning "meadow" or "clearing." In its earliest forms, it was spelled as "Kinges-leah" or "Kingeslea."
The name Kingsly gained prominence during the medieval period, particularly among the English nobility and aristocracy. It was often associated with individuals who held positions of power and authority or those who resided in areas that were once royal estates or manors.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kingsly can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears in reference to several villages and estates, suggesting its use as a place name before becoming a personal name.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kingsly. One of the earliest was Kingsly FitzUrse (c. 1130–1200), a Norman nobleman and one of the four knights involved in the infamous murder of Thomas Becket, the Archbishop of Canterbury, in 1170.
Another prominent figure was Sir Kingsly Vian (1655–1721), an English naval officer and Member of Parliament who played a significant role in the War of the Spanish Succession during the early 18th century.
In the literary world, Kingsly Amis (1922–1995) was a renowned British novelist, poet, and critic who wrote works such as "Lucky Jim" and "The Old Devils." He is often regarded as one of the most influential writers of the 20th century.
In the realm of sports, Kingsly Amuneke (born 1970) is a former Nigerian professional footballer who played as a striker for various clubs, including Barcelona and Sporting CP. He later became a successful football manager, guiding Nigeria's under-17 team to victory in the 2015 FIFA U-17 World Cup.
Finally, Kingsly Burrell (1907–1995) was a distinguished Australian artist and painter known for his vibrant and imaginative works that captured the spirit of the Australian outback and its indigenous people.
These examples illustrate the diverse array of individuals who have carried the name Kingsly throughout history, spanning various fields and backgrounds, and contributing to its enduring legacy as a name associated with nobility, authority, and achievement.
People
Kingsly + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kingsly 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
Kingsly: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kingsly?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 104 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kingsly 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 3,295,715 US residents.
Is Kingsly a common name?
We classify Kingsly as "Very Rare". It ranks above 65.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 105 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kingsly most popular?
The single biggest year for Kingsly was 2013, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kingsly is about 10 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 Kingsly in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kingsly a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kingsly 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 Kingsly still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kingsly 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 Kingsly 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 are named Kingsly?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many Americans are named Kingsly at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.