Boys' name · since 1917
Kale
Since 1917, U.S. Social Security records show 7,379 babies named Kale, peaking in 2008. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #1,429 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,242 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,379
- born since 1917
- 2000s
- peak decade
7,379 babies have been named Kale since 1917, making it today's #7242 boys' name.
Kale has 7,379 recorded births among boys since 1917, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #7242 as of the latest data, more common than 48% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1917 to 2025.
- #1,429 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #7,242 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 7,379 born since 1917
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kale ranks #1,429 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #7,242 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 7,379 born since 1917, peaking in the 2000s.
- #1,429 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #7,242 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 7,379
- born since 1917
- 2000s
- peak decade
Kale's 7,379 recorded births place it above 96.85% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
41 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Kale compares
7,379 Top 11% higher than 89% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Kale's all-time total is 20x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kale | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,379 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 544 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kale's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kale's full recorded timeline at 1988, 86% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 14% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1937, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2008 peak of 544 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kale popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1917–2025
- Peak year (2008)
- 544
- Annual births at peak, across 109 years of records
Kale popularity over time - girls
226 total births recorded since 1979 (Kale as girls' name)
Kale by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (2,879 births, 39% of the file).
2000s was Kale's strongest decade.
2,879 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 39% of all-time use.
Kale births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1910s 6
1910s
6 births
- 1920s 11
1920s
11 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 6
1940s
6 births
- 1950s 41
1950s
41 births
- 1960s 117
1960s
117 births
- 1970s 322
1970s
322 births
- 1980s 745
1980s
745 births
- 1990s 1,070
1990s
1,070 births
- 2000s
2000s
2,879 births
- 2010s
2010s
2,059 births
- 2020s 118
2020s
118 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 2,879 births (39% of all-time use).
How Kale compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Kale's total volume
Kale by state
Where Kale concentrates geographically, total births since 1917
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 390 | 5.3% |
| #2 | California | | 364 | 4.9% |
| #3 | Missouri | | 327 | 4.4% |
| #4 | Kansas | | 309 | 4.2% |
| #5 | Oklahoma | | 288 | 3.9% |
| #6 | Iowa | | 284 | 3.8% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 260 | 3.5% |
| #8 | Ohio | | 215 | 2.9% |
390 of 7,379 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 41 reporting states.
Kale appears in 41 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kale? ▼
Where does Kale sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kale most popular? ▼
Where is Kale most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kale been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kale? ▼
What to do with Kale's data
- Kale's decade-level peak was the 2000s (2,879 total births); usage has since declined to 118 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Kales (390 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kale
Nearby Names Like Kale
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kale
Compare Kale side by side: Kale vs Kaleb Kale vs Kalvin Kale vs Kalen
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kale
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kale: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2008)
Similar record span (~108 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1917–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Kale draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.