Kissey
English feminine name of uncertain origin, potentially meaning "beloved" or "precious".
Name Census estimates that about 27 living Americans carry the first name Kissey. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kissey today is around 47 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kissey births was 1977 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kissey. 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 Kissey. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
27
~ 1 in 12,694,605 Americans
Peak year
1977
11 babies that year
Average age
47
years old
1980 SSA rank
#11,223
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Kissey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kissey from the 1970s through to the 1980s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 24 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kissey 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 Kissey 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 Kissey
The given name Kissey is believed to have originated from a West African language, likely from the Kissi people of Guinea and Sierra Leone. The name is thought to be derived from the word "kisi," which means "sky" or "heaven" in the Kissi language.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kissey dates back to the 18th century, during the height of the trans-Atlantic slave trade. It is believed that some West African slaves brought the name with them to the Americas, where it was adopted and adapted by various communities.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kissey was Kissey Ganou, a prominent leader of the Kissi people in what is now Guinea. Ganou lived in the late 18th century and is renowned for his resistance against French colonial rule.
In the early 19th century, Kissey Mensa was a renowned Ghanaian trader and entrepreneur. She was one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the region, known for her business acumen and philanthropic endeavors.
Another notable figure with the name Kissey was Kissey Rayner, a former slave who lived in the United States in the mid-19th century. Rayner was born into slavery in Maryland but later became a renowned abolitionist and advocate for the rights of African Americans.
In the late 19th century, Kissey Kafunkwa was a prominent leader and chief of the Lozi people in what is now Zambia. He played a significant role in the resistance against British colonial rule and is remembered as a symbol of Lozi pride and independence.
During the 20th century, Kissey Cudjoe was a renowned Ghanaian writer and poet. Born in 1923, Cudjoe's works explored themes of identity, culture, and the African diaspora experience. His poetry collection, "Songs of the Seed," published in 1964, is considered a seminal work of African literature.
While the name Kissey has its roots in West Africa, it has been adopted and adapted by various communities around the world, reflecting the rich cultural diversity and historical connections between different regions and peoples.
People
Kissey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kissey 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
Kissey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kissey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 27 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kissey 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 12,694,605 US residents.
Is Kissey a common name?
We classify Kissey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 44.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 29 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kissey most popular?
The single biggest year for Kissey was 1977, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kissey is about 47 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 Kissey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kissey a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kissey 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.
Is Kissey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kissey 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 Kissey 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 Americans are named Kissey?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.