Kong
A masculine East Asian name meaning "bright" or "enlightened".
Name Census estimates that about 906 living Americans carry the first name Kong. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kong today is around 35 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kong births was 1993 (74 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kong. 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
906
~ 1 in 378,316 Americans
Peak year
1993
74 babies that year
Average age
35
years old
2012 SSA rank
#11,616
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Kong: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kong from the 1970s through to the 2010s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 474 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kong 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 Kong during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kongs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Minnesota, Wisconsin recorded the most babies named Kong, while Wisconsin, Minnesota, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 225 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kong
The name Kong is believed to have originated from the Chinese language, specifically from the Cantonese dialect spoken in the Guangdong province of southern China. It is thought to be derived from the Chinese word "gang," which means "healthy" or "robust."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kong can be found in the classical Chinese text "The Analects" by Confucius, which dates back to around 500 BC. In this work, the name Kong is used to refer to Confucius himself, whose given name was Kong Qiu.
In ancient China, the name Kong was often associated with strength, resilience, and longevity. It was a popular choice among families who wished to bestow these qualities upon their sons.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kong. One of the most famous was Kong Rong (153-208 AD), a Chinese philosopher and writer who lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was known for his commentary on the Confucian classic "The Book of Rites."
Another prominent figure was Kong Youde (574-648 AD), a renowned Buddhist monk and scholar from the Tang Dynasty. He played a significant role in the translation and dissemination of Buddhist scriptures in China.
In more recent times, the name Kong has been carried by individuals such as Kong Lingkai (1935-2022), a Chinese mathematician and academic who made significant contributions to the field of differential geometry.
Additionally, the name Kong is also found in other cultures and languages, though its origins and meanings may differ. For example, in the Korean language, the name Kong can be written as 공 and is associated with concepts like "empty" or "void."
Overall, the name Kong has a rich history and cultural significance, particularly in Chinese tradition, where it has been associated with strength, resilience, and intellectual pursuits for centuries.
People
Kong + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kong 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
Kong: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kong?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 906 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kong 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 378,316 US residents.
Is Kong a common name?
We classify Kong as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 935 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kong most popular?
The single biggest year for Kong was 1993, when 74 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kong is about 35 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kong a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kong 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.