Boys' name · since 2002
Kanye
1,404 babies named Kanye in U.S. Social Security records since 2002, with the highest year being 2004. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #4,143 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,859 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,404
- born since 2002
- 2000s
- peak decade
1,404 babies have been named Kanye since 2002, making it today's #12859 boys' name.
Social Security Administration records show Kanye recorded 1,404 times among boys since 2002, holding rank #12859 nationally today, ahead of 8% of boys, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 2002 to 2025.
- #4,143 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #12,859 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 1,404 born since 2002
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kanye ranks #4,143 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #12,859 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,404 born since 2002, peaking in the 2000s.
- #4,143 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #12,859 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,404
- born since 2002
- 2000s
- peak decade
Kanye's 1,404 recorded births place it above 90.88% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
28 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Illinois.
How Kanye compares
1,404 Top 27% higher than 73% 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
Kanye's all-time total is 4x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kanye | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,404 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 509 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kanye's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kanye's full recorded timeline at 2014, 12% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 88% in the earlier half -- the name was more prevalent in its earlier era than it is today. Its quietest year on record was 2002, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2004 peak of 509 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kanye popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2002–2025
- Peak year (2004)
- 509
- Annual births at peak, across 24 years of records
Kanye popularity over time - girls
24 total births recorded since 2004 (Kanye as girls' name)
Kanye by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (1,102 births, 78% of the file).
2000s was Kanye's strongest decade.
1,102 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 78% of all-time use.
Kanye births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 2000s
2000s
1,102 births
- 2010s 239
2010s
239 births
- 2020s 63
2020s
63 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,102 births (78% of all-time use).
How Kanye 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 Kanye's total volume
Kanye by state
Where Kanye concentrates geographically, total births since 2002
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Illinois | | 80 | 5.7% |
| #2 | New York | | 61 | 4.3% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 59 | 4.2% |
| #4 | Florida | | 57 | 4.1% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 49 | 3.5% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 49 | 3.5% |
| #7 | California | | 48 | 3.4% |
| #8 | Louisiana | | 47 | 3.3% |
80 of 1,404 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 28 reporting states.
Kanye appears in 28 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kanye? ▼
Where does Kanye sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kanye most popular? ▼
Where is Kanye most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kanye been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kanye? ▼
What to do with Kanye's data
- Kanye's decade-level peak was the 2000s (1,102 total births); usage has since declined to 63 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Illinois records the most Kanyes (80 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Illinois names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kanye
Nearby Names Like Kanye
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kanye
Compare Kanye side by side: Kanye vs Kane Kanye vs Kannon Kanye vs Kanan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kanye
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kanye: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2004)
Similar record span (~23 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, 2002–2025 (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 Kanye 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.