Total births
485,780
Boys' name · since 1881
Kyle
Since 1881, U.S. Social Security records show 485,780 babies named Kyle, peaking in 1990. See the year-by-year trend, decade totals, and state rankings below, sourced from federal birth data.
- #439
- among boys today
- 485,780
- born since 1881
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
485,780 babies have been named Kyle since 1881, making it today's #439 boys' name.
Kyle has 485,780 recorded births among boys since 1881, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #439 as of the latest data, more common than 97% of boys, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1881 to 2025.
- #439 among boys today
- 485,780 born since 1881
- 1990s peak decade
- 97% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kyle is currently the #439 boys' name in America, more common than 97% of boys - 485,780 born since 1881, peaking in the 1990s.
- #439
- among boys today
- 485,780
- born since 1881
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 97%
- more common than other boys
Kyle vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#439
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 97% of names given to boys today.
1990s
Peak decade
37% of everyone ever named Kyle was born in this single decade.
1990
Single peak year
22,710 babies were named Kyle in 1990 - its busiest year on record.
How Kyle compares
485,780 Top 0% higher than 100% 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
Kyle's all-time total is 1,324x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kyle | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 485,780 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 22,710 | 23 | 22,252 |
Kyle's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kyle's full recorded timeline at 1958, 99% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 1% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1881, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1990 peak of 22,710 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kyle at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
1990
Current rank
#439
Active since
1881
Kyle popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1881–2025
- Peak year (1990)
- 22,710
- Annual births at peak, across 145 years of records
Kyle popularity over time - girls
8,933 total births recorded since 1915 (Kyle as girls' name)
Kyle by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kyle's strongest decade.
180,218 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 37% of all-time use.
Kyle births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 19
1880s
19 births
- 1890s 55
1890s
55 births
- 1900s 79
1900s
79 births
- 1910s 449
1910s
449 births
- 1920s 814
1920s
814 births
- 1930s 901
1930s
901 births
- 1940s 1,155
1940s
1,155 births
- 1950s 5,789
1950s
5,789 births
- 1960s 16,579
1960s
16,579 births
- 1970s 32,645
1970s
32,645 births
- 1980s
1980s
141,947 births
- 1990s
1990s
180,218 births
- 2000s
2000s
76,156 births
- 2010s 24,138
2010s
24,138 births
- 2020s 4,836
2020s
4,836 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 180,218 births (37% of all-time use).
How Kyle 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 Kyle's total volume
Kyle vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Kyle by state
Where Kyle concentrates geographically, total births since 1881
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 51,229 | 10.5% |
| #2 | New York | | 29,109 | 6.0% |
| #3 | Ohio | | 27,173 | 5.6% |
| #4 | Texas | | 26,676 | 5.5% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 25,296 | 5.2% |
| #6 | Michigan | | 23,834 | 4.9% |
| #7 | Pennsylvania | | 23,076 | 4.8% |
| #8 | Florida | | 22,170 | 4.6% |
California share of Kyle's total US births 10.5%
Even split
51,229 of 485,780 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 51 reporting states.
Kyle appears in 51 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kyle? ▼
Since 1881, Social Security records show 485,780 babies named Kyle. Today it holds rank #439 among boys. Its busiest year on record was 1990, with 22,710 births.
When was Kyle most popular? ▼
Kyle was most popular in the 1990s decade with 180,218 total births. The single peak year was 1990.
Where is Kyle most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kyle are California (51,229 births), New York (29,109 births), Ohio (27,173 births).
How long has the name Kyle been used? ▼
Kyle has been recorded in Social Security data since 1881, spanning 145 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Kyle? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kyler, Kylan, Kylo, Kylen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Kyle's data
- Kyle's decade-level peak was the 1990s (180,218 total births); usage has since declined to 4,836 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kyles (51,229 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- 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 Kyle
Nearby Names Like Kyle
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kyle
Kyler Boy
#357 38,973 births
Kylan Boy
#535 10,734 births
Kylo Boy
#376 5,345 births
Kylen Boy
#926 4,804 births
Kylian Boy
#460 3,738 births
Compare Kyle side by side: Kyle vs Kyler Kyle vs Kylan Kyle vs Kylo
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kyle
Miller #438
11,172 births · Peak 2025
Kieran #440
17,613 births · Peak 2025
Clark #437
50,851 births · Peak 1961
Fabian #441
44,250 births · Peak 2007
Benson #436
14,312 births · Peak 2025
Sutton #442
7,351 births · Peak 2025
Sean #435
423,637 births · Peak 1990
Tanner #443
97,625 births · Peak 1998
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, 1881–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kyle: #439 Boys' Name - 485,780 Births, Peak 1990." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kyle. 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 Kyle 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.