Total births
398
Boys' name · since 1952
Kipling
398 babies named Kipling in U.S. Social Security records since 1952, with the highest year being 2016. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #11119
- among boys today
- 398
- born since 1952
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 22%
- more common than other boys
Yes -- Kipling is the #11119 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 398 recorded since 1952.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kipling has been recorded 398 times among boys since 1952, currently ranked #11119 nationally and more common than 22% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 1960s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1952 to 2025.
- #11119 among boys today
- 398 born since 1952
- 1960s peak decade
- 22% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kipling is currently the #11119 boys' name in America, more common than 22% of boys - 398 born since 1952, peaking in the 1960s.
- #11119
- among boys today
- 398
- born since 1952
- 1960s
- peak decade
- 22%
- more common than other boys
Kipling vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#11119
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 22% of names given to boys today.
1960s
Peak decade
24% of everyone ever named Kipling was born in this single decade.
2016
Single peak year
16 babies were named Kipling in 2016 - its busiest year on record.
How Kipling compares
398 Top 48% higher than 52% of 14,294 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
Kipling's all-time total is 8% above the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kipling | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 398 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 16 | 23 | 22,252 |
Kipling's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kipling's full recorded timeline at 1977, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1952, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 2016 peak of 16 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kipling at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2016
Current rank
#11,119
Active since
1952
Kipling popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1952–2025
- Peak year (2016)
- 16
- Annual births at peak, across 74 years of records
Kipling by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1960s was Kipling's strongest decade.
96 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Kipling births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s
1950s
53 births
- 1960s
1960s
96 births
- 1970s
1970s
59 births
- 1980s 18
1980s
18 births
- 1990s 18
1990s
18 births
- 2000s 16
2000s
16 births
- 2010s
2010s
86 births
- 2020s
2020s
52 births
What this shows Peak: 1960s at 96 births (24% of all-time use).
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kipling? ▼
Since 1952, Social Security records show 398 babies named Kipling. Today it holds rank #11119 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 2016, with 16 births.
When was Kipling most popular? ▼
Kipling was most popular in the 1960s decade with 96 total births. The single peak year was 2016.
How long has the name Kipling been used? ▼
Kipling has been recorded in Social Security data since 1952, spanning 74 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kipling? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kip, Kipp, Kipton, Kiptyn, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Kipling's data
- Kipling's usage has stayed within range of its 1960s decade-level peak (96 total births) through the 2020s (52) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- 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 Kipling
Nearby Names Like Kipling
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kipling
Kip Boy
#1464 8,568 births
Kipp Boy
#2139 2,484 births
Kipton Boy
#3012 1,351 births
Kiptyn Boy
#7625 742 births
Kippy Boy
166 births
Compare Kipling side by side: Kipling vs Kip Kipling vs Kipp Kipling vs Kipton
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kipling
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, 1952–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kipling: #11119 Boys' Name - 398 Births, Peak 2016." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kipling. 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 Kipling 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.