US rank #342 Boys' name Peak 2017 37,040 births

King — #342 US boys' name

37,040 babies named King in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2017. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.

1880s2291890s2331900s2771910s7951920s9981930s8011940s8181950s7081960s4531970s3161980s3351990s4392000s19502010s204322020s8256
#342
of 14,243 boys in use

More common than 98% of names given to boys today.

2010s
Peak decade

55% of everyone ever named King was born in this single decade.

2017
Single peak year

2,694 babies were named King in 2017 — its busiest year on record.

What the Data Says About King

The Social Security Administration has registered 37,040 babies named King between 1880 and 2024, spanning 145 consecutive years of U.S. birth records. As a boy's name, King currently holds the #342 rank among boys for 2024. The name reached its historical peak in 2017, when 2,694 babies received it in a single year.

Decade-level aggregation shows that King performed strongest in the 2010s, accumulating 20,432 births during that ten-year window. Across the 15 decades of recorded activity, King shows notable generational variation in parental adoption. Geographically, the name is most concentrated in Texas, which accounts for 3,438 births — the largest state-level total in the dataset — followed by California and Florida. In total, SSA state-level files list King in 45 of the 51 U.S. reporting jurisdictions.

No etymological entry is currently available for King in our reference dataset. These figures derive from SSA's annual national and state-level name files, which include any name appearing at least five times in a given year or state-year; names below that threshold are suppressed for privacy and therefore excluded from the totals shown here. The 37,040 total represents a lower bound — actual usage may be higher in years or states where the count fell below the disclosure floor. This page is provided for informational and research purposes only and does not constitute personal, legal, or naming advice.

King at a glance

Top 1,000 boys' name

Total births

37,040

Since 1880

145 years of records

Peak year

2017

2,694 births that year

Strongest decade: 2010s

Current rank

#342

Among boys

As of 2024

Active since

1880

Recorded for 145 years

Last year on file: 2024

King popularity over time — boys

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 2024–1880

Top 1,000 boys' name
Peak year (2017)
2,694
Annual births at peak — across 145 years of records
-1,00001,0002,0003,000 202420051986196719481929191018911880 27

King popularity over time — girls

40 total births recorded since 1929 (King as girls' name)

Unisex variant — 40 births
45678910 2021201920182017201619641929 5

King by decade

Total births in each ten-year window — peak vs trough at a glance

Peak: 2010s
Peak decade
2010s
20,432 births that decade — 55% of King's all-time total
1880s2291890s2331900s2771910s7951920s9981930s8011940s8181950s7081960s4531970s3161980s3351990s4392000s19502010s204322020s8256

King by state

Where King concentrates geographically — total births since 1880

Geographically diffuse
Top 8 states by recorded births for the name King
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 Texas
3,438 9.3%
#2 California
3,094 8.4%
#3 Florida
3,000 8.1%
#4 Georgia
2,457 6.6%
#5 New York
1,845 5.0%
#6 North Carolina
1,666 4.5%
#7 Michigan
1,177 3.2%
#8 Ohio
1,166 3.1%
Texas share of King's total US births 9.3%
Even split

3,438 of 37,040 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 45 reporting states.

King appears in 45 states. Explore state details →

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name King?
37,040 babies have been named King since 1880. It currently ranks #342 among boys. The peak year was 2017 with 2,694 births.
When was King most popular?
King was most popular in the 2010s decade with 20,432 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is King most popular?
The top states for the name King are Texas (3,438 births), California (3,094 births), Florida (3,000 births).
How long has the name King been used?
King has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 145 years of data through 2024.
What names are similar to King?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kingston, Kingsley, Kingsten, Kingstyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

Keep exploring King

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Data Sources

Data as of 2024. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).

Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications — National Data, 1880–2024 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames). National-level data includes all names with 5 or more occurrences in a given year.

State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names — State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip). Includes all names with 5 or more occurrences per state per year; rarer names are excluded for privacy.