Boys' name · since 1961
Kiel
Kiel has 2,505 recorded births since 1961 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1983 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,867 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,882 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,505
- born since 1961
- 1980s
- peak decade
Kiel currently ranks #10882 among boys' names in America, with 2,505 babies recorded since 1961.
Kiel has 2,505 recorded births among boys since 1961, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10882 as of the latest data, more common than 22% of boys, busiest in the 1980s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1961 to 2025.
- #2,867 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #10,882 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 2,505 born since 1961
- 1980s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kiel ranks #2,867 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,882 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 2,505 born since 1961, peaking in the 1980s.
- #2,867 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,882 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,505
- born since 1961
- 1980s
- peak decade
Kiel's 2,505 recorded births place it above 93.69% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
26 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
How Kiel compares
2,505 Top 20% higher than 80% 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
Kiel's all-time total is 7x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kiel | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,505 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 279 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kiel's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kiel splits its recorded history at 1995: 23% of all births land in the more recent half, 77% in the earlier half, leaning more toward its earlier era than today's. The single quietest year was 1961 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1983 peak of 279 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kiel popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1961–2025
- Peak year (1983)
- 279
- Annual births at peak, across 65 years of records
Kiel popularity over time - girls
30 total births recorded since 1983 (Kiel as girls' name)
Kiel by decade
1980s is the heaviest window (1,504 births, 60% of the file).
1980s was Kiel's strongest decade.
1,504 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 60% of all-time use.
Kiel births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 27
1960s
27 births
- 1970s 91
1970s
91 births
- 1980s
1980s
1,504 births
- 1990s 509
1990s
509 births
- 2000s 214
2000s
214 births
- 2010s 107
2010s
107 births
- 2020s 53
2020s
53 births
What this shows Peak: 1980s at 1,504 births (60% of all-time use).
How Kiel 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 Kiel's total volume
Kiel by state
Where Kiel concentrates geographically, total births since 1961
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 226 | 9.0% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 129 | 5.1% |
| #3 | New York | | 96 | 3.8% |
| #4 | Ohio | | 85 | 3.4% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 83 | 3.3% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 61 | 2.4% |
| #7 | Texas | | 54 | 2.2% |
| #8 | Indiana | | 53 | 2.1% |
226 of 2,505 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 26 reporting states.
Kiel appears in 26 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kiel? ▼
Where does Kiel sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kiel most popular? ▼
Where is Kiel most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kiel been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kiel? ▼
What to do with Kiel's data
- Kiel's decade-level peak was the 1980s (1,504 total births); usage has since declined to 53 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kiels (226 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 Kiel
Nearby Names Like Kiel
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kiel
Compare Kiel side by side: Kiel vs Kieran Kiel vs Kieth Kiel vs Kiefer
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kiel
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kiel: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1983)
Similar record span (~64 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, 1961–2025 (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 Kiel 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.