Unisex name · since 1920
Kei
651 babies named Kei in U.S. Social Security records since 1920, with the highest year being 2015. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #6,738 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,187 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 651
- born since 1920
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kei currently ranks #6187 among unisex names in America, with 651 babies recorded since 1920.
Kei has 651 recorded births among boys since 1920, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #6187 as of the latest data, more common than 56% of boys, busiest in the 2010s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1920 to 2025.
- #6,738 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #6,187 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 651 born since 1920
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kei ranks #6,738 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #6,187 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 651 born since 1920, peaking in the 2010s.
- #6,738 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #6,187 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 651
- born since 1920
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kei's 651 recorded births place it above 85.17% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 1 jurisdictions, led by California.
How Kei compares
651 Top 39% higher than 61% 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
Kei's all-time total is 76% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kei | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 651 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 33 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kei's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kei splits its recorded history at 2002: 67% of all births land in the more recent half, 33% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1988 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2015 peak of 33 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kei popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1920–2025
- Peak year (2015)
- 33
- Annual births at peak, across 106 years of records
Kei popularity over time - girls
186 total births recorded since 1978 (Kei as girls' name)
Kei by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (212 births, 33% of the file).
2010s was Kei's strongest decade.
212 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 33% of all-time use.
Kei births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1920s 13
1920s
13 births
- 1970s 15
1970s
15 births
- 1980s 61
1980s
61 births
- 1990s
1990s
99 births
- 2000s
2000s
139 births
- 2010s
2010s
212 births
- 2020s
2020s
112 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 212 births (33% of all-time use).
How Kei 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 Kei's total volume
Kei by state
Where Kei concentrates geographically, total births since 1920
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 88 | 13.5% |
88 of 651 births nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kei's data
- Kei's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (212 total births) through the 2020s (112) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- California records the most Keis (88 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kei
Nearby Names Like Kei
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kei
Compare Kei side by side: Kei vs Keith Kei vs Keion Kei vs Keilan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kei
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kei: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2015)
Similar record span (~105 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, 1920–2025 (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 Kei 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.