NameCensus.
Very Rare

Kyston

A masculine name of English origin, a variant spelling of the name Keyston.

Name Census estimates that about 144 living Americans carry the first name Kyston. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kyston today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kyston births was 2020 (12 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Kyston. 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

144

~ 1 in 2,380,238 Americans

Peak year

2020

12 babies that year

Average age

11

years old

2024 SSA rank

#10,447

Tracked since 2005

Popularity

Kyston: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Kyston 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 72 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kyston remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

0369122005201020152020

Decades

Kyston 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 Kyston during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s25025
2010s72072
2020s48048

Origin

Meaning and history of Kyston

The given name Kyston is of uncertain origin, with no clear consensus among scholars regarding its linguistic roots or cultural background. Some have speculated that it may be a variant spelling or modern adaptation of the Welsh name Kyston or Cyston, derived from the Welsh word "cyst" meaning "chest" or "coffer." However, concrete evidence for this connection is scarce, and the name's true origins remain shrouded in mystery.

Throughout history, the name Kyston has been relatively obscure, with few documented instances of its use. One of the earliest recorded bearers of this name was Kyston of Rhuddlan, a 13th-century Welsh nobleman who was a prominent figure during the Welsh Wars against King Edward I of England. Little is known about his life beyond his involvement in these conflicts, but his name has been preserved in historical records from that era.

Another notable historical figure with the name Kyston was Sir Kyston Walpole, an English knight who lived during the 15th century. He was a member of the renowned Walpole family and served as a loyal supporter of the House of Lancaster during the Wars of the Roses. While details of his exploits are scarce, his name appears in various chronicles and genealogical records from that period.

In the realm of literature, one of the earliest references to the name Kyston can be found in the 16th-century play "The Taming of a Shrew" by an unknown author. In this early precursor to Shakespeare's famous work, one of the characters bears the name Kyston, though his role and significance within the play are minor.

Moving forward in time, a more prominent figure named Kyston was Kyston Phelan, an Irish explorer and naturalist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Born in County Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1776, Phelan embarked on numerous expeditions to the Americas, documenting the flora and fauna of the regions he visited. His detailed journals and scientific observations made significant contributions to the fields of botany and zoology during that era.

In the realm of literature, one notable bearer of the name was Kyston Ellsworth, an American poet and playwright who lived from 1835 to 1912. Although his works are not widely known today, Ellsworth's poetic and dramatic writings were well-regarded in his time, with several of his plays being performed on Broadway during the late 19th century.

It is important to note that while these examples provide glimpses into the historical usage of the name Kyston, its overall prevalence and significance remain relatively limited compared to more common given names. The true origins and cultural roots of this enigmatic moniker may forever remain a mystery, shrouded in the mists of time.

People

Kyston + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Kyston 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

Kyston: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Kyston?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 144 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kyston 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 2,380,238 US residents.

Is Kyston a common name?

We classify Kyston as "Very Rare". It ranks above 69.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 145 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Kyston most popular?

The single biggest year for Kyston was 2020, when 12 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kyston is about 11 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 Kyston in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Kyston a male name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kyston 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 Kyston still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Kyston 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 Kyston 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 share the name Kyston?

For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.

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There are 144 people

with the first name

Kyston

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