Boys' name · since 1995
Kinston
Since 1995, U.S. Social Security records show 183 babies named Kinston, peaking in 2019. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #13,505 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,095 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 183
- born since 1995
- 2010s
- peak decade
Yes -- Kinston is the #10095 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 183 recorded since 1995.
Kinston has 183 recorded births among boys since 1995, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #10095 as of the latest data, more common than 28% 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 1995 to 2025.
- #13,505 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #10,095 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 183 born since 1995
- 2010s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kinston ranks #13,505 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #10,095 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 183 born since 1995, peaking in the 2010s.
- #13,505 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #10,095 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 183
- born since 1995
- 2010s
- peak decade
Kinston's 183 recorded births place it above 70.28% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by North Carolina.
How Kinston compares
183 36th percentile among 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
Kinston's all-time total is 50% below the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kinston | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 183 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 16 | 34 | 22,252 |
Kinston's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kinston splits its recorded history at 2013: 56% of all births land in the more recent half, 44% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1995 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2019 peak of 16 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kinston popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1995–2025
- Peak year (2019)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 31 years of records
Kinston by decade
2010s is the heaviest window (105 births, 57% of the file).
2010s was Kinston's strongest decade.
105 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 57% of all-time use.
Kinston births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1990s 5
1990s
5 births
- 2000s
2000s
45 births
- 2010s
2010s
105 births
- 2020s 28
2020s
28 births
What this shows Peak: 2010s at 105 births (57% of all-time use).
Kinston by state
Where Kinston concentrates geographically, total births since 1995
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | North Carolina | | 41 | 22.4% |
| #2 | South Carolina | | 6 | 3.3% |
41 of 183 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kinston's data
- Kinston's decade-level peak was the 2010s (105 total births); usage has since declined to 28 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- North Carolina records the most Kinstons (41 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. North Carolina names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kinston
Nearby Names Like Kinston
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kinston
Compare Kinston side by side: Kinston vs Kingston Kinston vs King Kinston vs Kingsley
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kinston
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kinston: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2019)
Similar record span (~30 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, 1995–2025 (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 Kinston 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.