Kyon
A Japanese name with multiple possible meanings including "far away" or "eccentric".
Name Census estimates that about 808 living Americans carry the first name Kyon. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kyon today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kyon births was 2017 (62 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kyon. 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 Kyon with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
808
~ 1 in 424,201 Americans
Peak year
2017
62 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,133
Tracked since 1976
Census
Kyon in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 587 people with the first name Kyon, which placed it at #18,374 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
#18,374
National first-name rank
People counted
587
587 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
71.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kyon
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyon is Black at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). 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 Kyon 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 Kyon at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American71.7% · 421
- Two or more races8.3% · 49
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.5% · 38
- Hispanic or Latino5.6% · 33
- White5.3% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.6% · 15
Popularity
Kyon: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kyon from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 310 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kyon remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kyon 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 Kyon during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kyons live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Maryland, Florida, New Jersey recorded the most babies named Kyon, while Georgia, Texas, Pennsylvania recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kyon
The given name Kyon originated from the Japanese language, with its roots dating back to the 8th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Japanese word "kyo," which means "capital" or "metropolis." This connection suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals residing in or hailing from prominent urban centers of ancient Japan.
During the Heian period (794-1185 CE), the name Kyon was commonly found among the aristocratic class and samurai families of Japan. It is noteworthy that the name appears in several historical records and literary works from this era, indicating its widespread usage among the nobility and warrior class.
One of the earliest recorded individuals bearing the name Kyon was a prominent samurai warrior named Kyon Takahashi (1102-1178). He was renowned for his bravery and military prowess, having fought in numerous battles against rival clans during the late Heian period.
In the 13th century, a renowned Buddhist monk named Kyon Dogen (1200-1253) played a significant role in introducing the Soto school of Zen Buddhism to Japan. His teachings and philosophical works, such as the "Shobogenzo," had a profound impact on the development of Zen Buddhism in the country.
During the Muromachi period (1336-1573), a notable figure named Kyon Masahide (1428-1491) emerged as a skilled swordsmith. His exceptional craftsmanship and innovative techniques in forging Japanese swords earned him a reputation that extended beyond the borders of Japan.
In the realm of literature, Kyon Nobunaga (1534-1582), a famous daimyo (feudal lord) and poet, left a lasting legacy through his poetic works and contributions to the cultural renaissance of the Azuchi-Momoyama period.
Another prominent individual bearing the name Kyon was Kyon Tsunenori (1570-1634), a skilled architect and engineer who played a pivotal role in the construction of several iconic castles and fortifications during the Edo period (1603-1868).
These examples illustrate the historical significance and widespread use of the given name Kyon across various domains, including warfare, religion, craftsmanship, literature, and architecture, throughout the centuries in Japan.
People
Kyon + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kyon 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
Kyon: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kyon?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 808 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kyon 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 424,201 US residents.
Is Kyon a common name?
We classify Kyon as "Very Rare". It ranks above 88.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 818 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kyon most popular?
The single biggest year for Kyon was 2017, when 62 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kyon is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kyon in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 587 people with the name Kyon, or 0.19 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #18,374 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 Kyon 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 Kyon?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kyon leans strongly male. 548 people counted with this name were male (94.0%), compared with 35 female bearers (6.0%). 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 Kyon?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kyon is Black at 71.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (8.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (6.5%). 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 Kyon most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kyon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 71.7% (421 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 Kyon in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kyon a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kyon 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 Kyon still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kyon 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 Kyon 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 have Kyon as a first name?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the name Kyon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.