Kuzey
A Turkish name meaning "north" or "northerly".
Name Census estimates that about 149 living Americans carry the first name Kuzey. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kuzey today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kuzey births was 2016 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kuzey. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kuzey with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
149
~ 1 in 2,300,365 Americans
Peak year
2016
15 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,049
Tracked since 2009
Popularity
Kuzey: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kuzey 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 102 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kuzey remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kuzey 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 Kuzey during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kuzeys live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Florida, California, New York recorded the most babies named Kuzey, while New York, California, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 5 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kuzey
The name Kuzey is of Turkish origin, derived from the word "kuzey" which means "north" in the Turkish language. This name likely originated during the time when the Turkish people were nomadic, and the concept of directions held significant importance in their daily lives and travels.
Kuzey is a relatively modern name, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the late 20th century in Turkey. While it does not have a long historical lineage like some ancient names, its meaning and connection to the Turkish language give it a distinct cultural significance.
One of the earliest notable individuals to bear the name Kuzey was Kuzey Tekinoğlu, a Turkish actor born in 1977. He gained recognition for his roles in various Turkish television series and films, contributing to the popularization of the name in contemporary Turkish culture.
Another prominent figure named Kuzey was Kuzey Yılmaz, a Turkish novelist and screenwriter born in 1980. His works, which often explored themes of identity and societal issues, garnered critical acclaim and further solidified the name's association with literary and artistic circles in Turkey.
In the realm of sports, Kuzey Karadeniz, a Turkish basketball player born in 1985, made a name for himself during his career, representing Turkey in international competitions and playing for various professional teams both domestically and abroad.
Beyond Turkey, the name Kuzey has also found its way into other cultures and communities. For instance, Kuzey Deneçeken, a Dutch-Turkish actor born in 1992, has gained recognition for his roles in various Dutch and international productions, further showcasing the cross-cultural appeal of this name.
While the name Kuzey may not have a long and storied history like some ancient names, its unique meaning and cultural significance in the Turkish language and society have contributed to its increasing popularity in recent decades, both within Turkey and among Turkish diaspora communities around the world.
People
Kuzey + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kuzey 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
Kuzey: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kuzey?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 149 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kuzey 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 2,300,365 US residents.
Is Kuzey a common name?
We classify Kuzey as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 150 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kuzey most popular?
The single biggest year for Kuzey was 2016, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kuzey is about 9 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 Kuzey in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kuzey a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kuzey 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 Kuzey still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kuzey 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 Kuzey 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 Kuzey?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.