Total births
346,570
Girls' name · since 1933
Kayla
Kayla has 346,570 recorded births since 1933 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1991 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #337
- among girls today
- 346,570
- born since 1933
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
346,570 babies have been named Kayla since 1933, making it today's #337 girls' name.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kayla has been recorded 346,570 times among girls since 1933, currently ranked #337 nationally and more common than 98% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1933 to 2025.
- #337 among girls today
- 346,570 born since 1933
- 1990s peak decade
- 98% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kayla is currently the #337 girls' name in America, more common than 98% of girls - 346,570 born since 1933, peaking in the 1990s.
- #337
- among girls today
- 346,570
- born since 1933
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 98%
- more common than other girls
Kayla vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#337
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 98% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
45% of everyone ever named Kayla was born in this single decade.
1991
Single peak year
18,545 babies were named Kayla in 1991 - its busiest year on record.
How Kayla compares
346,570 Top 1% higher than 99% of 17,726 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
Kayla's all-time total is 907x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kayla | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 346,570 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 18,545 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kayla's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kayla's full recorded timeline at 1980, 99% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 1% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1935, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1991 peak of 18,545 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kayla at a glance
Top 1,000 girls' namePeak year
1991
Current rank
#337
Active since
1933
Kayla popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1933–2025
- Peak year (1991)
- 18,545
- Annual births at peak, across 93 years of records
Kayla popularity over time - boys
574 total births recorded since 1983 (Kayla as boys' name)
Kayla by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kayla's strongest decade.
155,893 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Kayla births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1930s 35
1930s
35 births
- 1940s 161
1940s
161 births
- 1950s 700
1950s
700 births
- 1960s 1,488
1960s
1,488 births
- 1970s 1,942
1970s
1,942 births
- 1980s 55,291
1980s
55,291 births
- 1990s
1990s
155,893 births
- 2000s
2000s
94,356 births
- 2010s 30,289
2010s
30,289 births
- 2020s 6,415
2020s
6,415 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 155,893 births (45% of all-time use).
How Kayla 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 Kayla's total volume
Kayla vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kayla by state
Where Kayla concentrates geographically, total births since 1933
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 33,780 | 9.7% |
| #2 | Texas | | 25,653 | 7.4% |
| #3 | New York | | 22,324 | 6.4% |
| #4 | Florida | | 18,669 | 5.4% |
| #5 | Pennsylvania | | 15,510 | 4.5% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 14,778 | 4.3% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 13,617 | 3.9% |
| #8 | Georgia | | 11,933 | 3.4% |
California share of Kayla's total US births 9.7%
Even split
33,780 of 346,570 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kayla appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kayla? ▼
Since 1933, Social Security records show 346,570 babies named Kayla. Today it holds rank #337 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1991, with 18,545 births.
When was Kayla most popular? ▼
Kayla was most popular in the 1990s decade with 155,893 total births. The single peak year was 1991.
Where is Kayla most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kayla are California (33,780 births), Texas (25,653 births), New York (22,324 births).
How long has the name Kayla been used? ▼
Records for Kayla go back to 1933, giving 93 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Kayla? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kaylee, Kay, Kayleigh, Kaylie, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kayla's data
- Kayla's decade-level peak was the 1990s (155,893 total births); usage has since declined to 6,415 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kaylas (33,780 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kayla
Nearby Names Like Kayla
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kayla
Kaylee Girl
#220 140,425 births
Kay Girl
#3897 98,621 births
Kayleigh Girl
#731 34,561 births
Kaylie Girl
#1239 22,101 births
Kaylin Girl
#1426 19,307 births
Compare Kayla side by side: Kayla vs Kaylee Kayla vs Kay Kayla vs Kayleigh
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kayla
Poppy #336
9,541 births · Peak 2023
Navy #338
5,913 births · Peak 2025
Vanessa #335
261,622 births · Peak 1985
Kalani #339
10,278 births · Peak 2021
Aurelia #334
18,435 births · Peak 2025
Rebecca #340
755,992 births · Peak 1981
Emory #333
10,792 births · Peak 2024
Adelina #341
16,762 births · Peak 2025
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1933–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kayla: #337 Girls' Name - 346,570 Births, Peak 1991." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kayla. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Kayla 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 June 2026.