Girls' name · since 1885
Kay
Since 1885, U.S. Social Security records show 98,621 babies named Kay, peaking in 1942. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #379 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,906 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 98,621
- born since 1885
- 1940s
- peak decade
Kay currently ranks #3906 among girls' names in America, with 98,621 babies recorded since 1885.
Kay has 98,621 recorded births among girls since 1885, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #3906 as of the latest data, more common than 77% of girls, busiest in the 1940s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1885 to 2025.
- #379 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #3,906 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 98,621 born since 1885
- 1940s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kay ranks #379 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #3,906 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 98,621 born since 1885, peaking in the 1940s.
- #379 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #3,906 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 98,621
- born since 1885
- 1940s
- peak decade
Kay's 98,621 recorded births place it above 99.47% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
51 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Kay compares
98,621 Top 3% higher than 97% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls 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
Kay's all-time total is 262x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kay | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 98,621 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 3,622 | 21 | 19,840 |
Kay's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kay splits its recorded history at 1955: 30% of all births land in the more recent half, 70% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1890 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1942 peak of 3,622 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kay popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1885–2025
- Peak year (1942)
- 3,622
- Annual births at peak, across 141 years of records
Kay popularity over time - boys
3,924 total births recorded since 1882 (Kay as boys' name)
Kay by decade
1940s is the heaviest window (32,654 births, 33% of the file).
1940s was Kay's strongest decade.
32,654 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Kay births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 31
1880s
31 births
- 1890s 122
1890s
122 births
- 1900s 452
1900s
452 births
- 1910s 2,173
1910s
2,173 births
- 1920s 2,665
1920s
2,665 births
- 1930s
1930s
17,301 births
- 1940s
1940s
32,654 births
- 1950s
1950s
24,645 births
- 1960s 12,390
1960s
12,390 births
- 1970s 2,517
1970s
2,517 births
- 1980s 1,409
1980s
1,409 births
- 1990s 869
1990s
869 births
- 2000s 635
2000s
635 births
- 2010s 504
2010s
504 births
- 2020s 254
2020s
254 births
What this shows Peak: 1940s at 32,654 births (33% of all-time use).
How Kay compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Kay's total volume
Kay by state
Where Kay concentrates geographically, total births since 1885
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 6,871 | 7.0% |
| #2 | Michigan | | 6,448 | 6.5% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 6,213 | 6.3% |
| #4 | Pennsylvania | | 5,808 | 5.9% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 5,638 | 5.7% |
| #6 | California | | 4,969 | 5.0% |
| #7 | Wisconsin | | 4,950 | 5.0% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 3,507 | 3.6% |
6,871 of 98,621 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kay appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kay? ▼
Where does Kay sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kay most popular? ▼
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What to do with Kay's data
- Kay's decade-level peak was the 1940s (32,654 total births); usage has since declined to 254 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Texas records the most Kays (6,871 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 Kay
Nearby Names Like Kay
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kay
Compare Kay side by side: Kay vs Kayla Kay vs Kaylee Kay vs Kayleigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kay
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kay: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1942)
Similar record span (~140 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, 1885–2025 (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 Kay 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.