Koy
Name of uncertain origin, possibly derived from nature words in Thai.
Name Census estimates that about 944 living Americans carry the first name Koy. It is a predominantly male name (96.5% of registrations). The average person named Koy today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Koy births was 1997 (46 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Koy. 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
944
~ 1 in 363,087 Americans
Peak year
1997
46 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,482
Tracked since 1970
Census
Koy in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 1,118 people with the first name Koy, which placed it at #11,449 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
#11,449
National first-name rank
People counted
1.1K
1,118 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.4
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
60.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koy
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Koy is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.3%) and Black (8.5%). 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 Koy 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 Koy at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White60.1% · 672
- Asian and Pacific Islander23.3% · 260
- Black or African American8.5% · 95
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 37
- Two or more races3.2% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 18
Gender
Gender distribution for Koy
Koy leans heavily male at 96.5% of total registrations, but 34 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Koy as a male name
- Ranked #3,482 in 2024
- 33 male births in 2024
- Peak: 1997 (46 births)
Koy as a female name
- Ranked #12,652 in 1993
- 6 female births in 1993
- Peak: 1982 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Koy on both sides of the split. Of the 1,118 people counted with this name, 835 were male (74.7%) and 283 were female (25.3%).
Popularity
Koy: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Koy from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 274 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Koy remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Koy 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 Koy during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Koys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, Utah, Louisiana recorded the most babies named Koy, while South Dakota, Idaho, Iowa recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Koy
The name Koy originates from the Thai language and has its roots in the ancient Khmer civilization. It is derived from the Old Khmer word "koi," which means "rich" or "wealthy." The name's earliest recorded use dates back to the 12th century CE during the Khmer Empire's reign in Southeast Asia.
In ancient Khmer texts, the name Koy was often associated with prosperity and abundance. It was commonly given to children born into affluent families or those who were expected to bring good fortune and wealth to their lineage. The name held significant cultural and spiritual significance in the region.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Koy was a revered Buddhist monk who lived in the 13th century CE. Known as Koy Sametra, he was renowned for his wisdom and teachings, which influenced the spiritual practices of the Khmer people.
In the 16th century, a prominent Khmer prince named Koy Ke ruled over a prosperous region in what is now modern-day Cambodia. His reign was marked by economic growth and cultural accomplishments, further solidifying the name's association with affluence and success.
Another notable figure bearing the name Koy was a celebrated Thai poet and author from the 19th century. Koy Krabuan was renowned for his literary works that portrayed the rich cultural tapestry of Thailand and its people.
In the realm of martial arts, Koy Detdongchen, a Thai boxer born in 1941, made a significant impact on the world of Muay Thai. He was a multiple-time champion and is considered one of the greatest fighters in the history of the sport.
Throughout the centuries, the name Koy has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, from scholars and artists to warriors and leaders. Its rich historical legacy reflects the cultural significance and positive connotations associated with wealth, prosperity, and success.
People
Koy + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Koy 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
Koy: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Koy?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 944 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Koy 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 363,087 US residents.
Is Koy a common name?
We classify Koy as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 961 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Koy most popular?
The single biggest year for Koy was 1997, when 46 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Koy is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Koy in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 1,118 people with the name Koy, or 0.37 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #11,449 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 Koy 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 Koy?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Koy on both sides of the split. Of the 1,118 people counted with this name, 835 were male (74.7%) and 283 were female (25.3%). 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 Koy?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Koy is White at 60.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (23.3%) and Black (8.5%). 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 Koy most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Koy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 60.1% (672 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 Koy in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Koy a male name?
Yes, 96.5% of people registered as Koy 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 Koy still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Koy 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 Koy 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 many Americans are named Koy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Koy at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.