Kyi
A Buddhist name derived from the Myanma language meaning "animal lover".
Name Census estimates that about 167 living Americans carry the first name Kyi. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.4% of registrations being male. The average person named Kyi today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kyi births was 2017 (17 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kyi. 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 Kyi with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
167
~ 1 in 2,052,421 Americans
Peak year
2017
17 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,318
Tracked since 2000
Census
Kyi in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 616 people with the first name Kyi, which placed it at #17,727 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
#17,727
National first-name rank
People counted
616
616 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
65.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyi
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and White (7.8%). 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 Kyi 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 Kyi at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander65.4% · 403
- Black or African American19.6% · 121
- White7.8% · 48
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 21
- Two or more races2.6% · 16
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 7
Gender
Gender distribution for Kyi
Kyi leans heavily male at 80.4% of total registrations, but 33 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kyi as a male name
- Ranked #10,318 in 2023
- 7 male births in 2023
- Peak: 2017 (17 births)
Kyi as a female name
- Ranked #17,000 in 2018
- 5 female births in 2018
- Peak: 2013 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kyi on both sides of the split. Of the 618 people counted with this name, 295 were male (47.7%) and 323 were female (52.3%).
Popularity
Kyi: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kyi 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 108 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kyi remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kyi 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 Kyi 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 Kyi
The given name Kyi has its origins in the Burmese language and culture, with roots dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Pali word "kyi," which means "to be quiet" or "to be calm." This name was commonly used in Myanmar (formerly Burma) and other parts of Southeast Asia.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kyi can be found in the Bagan era (11th to 13th century CE) of Myanmar, where it was a popular name among Buddhist monks and scholars. The name was often given to those who exhibited a peaceful and serene demeanor, reflecting the Buddhist values of tranquility and inner peace.
In the 16th century, Kyi gained further prominence when a Burmese princess named Kyi Kyi Khaing became a renowned figure in the royal court of the Toungoo Dynasty. Her legacy as a patron of the arts and literature helped to solidify the name's association with culture and refinement.
Another notable figure bearing the name Kyi was Kyi Maung, a prominent Burmese scholar and poet who lived in the 18th century. His works, which celebrated the beauty of the Burmese language and traditions, played a significant role in preserving the country's literary heritage.
In the 19th century, Kyi Wun, a renowned Burmese statesman and diplomat, was instrumental in negotiating treaties and fostering diplomatic relations between Myanmar and neighboring countries. His contributions to international diplomacy brought honor and respect to the name Kyi.
During the 20th century, Kyi Nu, a Burmese writer and activist, gained recognition for her work in promoting women's rights and advocating for social justice. Her literary works, which often explored themes of gender equality and empowerment, earned her a place as one of the most influential figures in Myanmar's modern literary canon.
While the name Kyi continues to be popular in Myanmar and other parts of Southeast Asia, its usage has also spread to other regions of the world due to migration and cultural exchange. The name's association with tranquility, wisdom, and cultural heritage has endured throughout its long history, making it a cherished name across generations.
People
Kyi + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kyi 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
Kyi: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kyi?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 167 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kyi 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 2,052,421 US residents.
Is Kyi a common name?
We classify Kyi as "Very Rare". It ranks above 71.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 168 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kyi most popular?
The single biggest year for Kyi was 2017, when 17 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kyi is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kyi in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 616 people with the name Kyi, or 0.20 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #17,727 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 Kyi 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 Kyi?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kyi on both sides of the split. Of the 618 people counted with this name, 295 were male (47.7%) and 323 were female (52.3%). 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 Kyi?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyi is Asian/Pacific Islander at 65.4%. The next largest groups are Black (19.6%) and White (7.8%). 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 Kyi most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kyi in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.4% (403 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 Kyi in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kyi a male name?
Yes, 80.4% of people registered as Kyi 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 Kyi still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kyi 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 Kyi 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 people are named Kyi?
Want to know how many Americans are named Kyi? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.