Kylene
A feminine name of Spanish origin meaning "fair and clear complexion".
Name Census estimates that about 1,596 living Americans carry the first name Kylene. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kylene today is around 37 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kylene births was 1979 (205 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kylene. 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
1.6K
~ 1 in 214,758 Americans
Peak year
1979
205 babies that year
Average age
37
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,527
Tracked since 1948
Popularity
Kylene: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kylene from the 1940s through to the 2020s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 610 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kylene 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 Kylene during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kylenes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, Pennsylvania, Ohio recorded the most babies named Kylene, while Virginia, Oregon, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kylene
Kylene is a feminine given name of Greek origin, derived from the Greek word "kylindros," which means "roller" or "cylinder." The name is believed to have originated around the 5th century BCE in ancient Greece, where it was likely used as a descriptive term for someone who worked with rollers or cylinders.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kylene dates back to the 3rd century BCE, where it was mentioned in a Greek inscription found in the city of Ephesus, located in present-day Turkey. The inscription was a dedication to the goddess Artemis, and it listed the names of several women who had made offerings to the temple, one of whom was named Kylene.
In ancient Greek mythology, there is a reference to a nymph named Kylene, who was said to have been one of the companions of the goddess Artemis. This mythological figure may have contributed to the popularity of the name among ancient Greeks.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kylene. One of the earliest was Kylene of Syracuse, a Greek philosopher who lived in the 4th century BCE and was a follower of the Pythagorean school of thought. Another notable Kylene was Kylene of Thessaly, a Greek poet who lived in the 3rd century BCE and wrote about the exploits of Alexander the Great.
In the Middle Ages, the name Kylene was relatively rare, but there are records of a few individuals who bore the name. One such person was Kylene of Burgundy, a nun who lived in the 12th century and was known for her piety and devotion to the Catholic Church.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kylene experienced a resurgence in popularity, particularly in Italy. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Kylene Sforza, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 15th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and her political influence in the city of Milan.
In more recent times, the name Kylene has been used by several notable individuals, including Kylene Barker, an American actress and singer who was born in 1973, and Kylene Delaney, an American volleyball player who competed in the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games.
People
Kylene + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kylene 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
Kylene: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kylene?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,596 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kylene 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 214,758 US residents.
Is Kylene a common name?
We classify Kylene as "Rare". It ranks above 92.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,693 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kylene most popular?
The single biggest year for Kylene was 1979, when 205 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kylene is about 37 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kylene a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kylene 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.
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.