NameCensus.

UK boy's name

Kie

A unisex Dutch given name meaning "strong and pure".

For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2016. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.

Kie is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Kie popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2016 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3079, with 6 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2002, with 26 births.

This profile covers 230 England and Wales registrations across 20 recorded years from 1996 to 2016. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.

The latest count is about 23% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 228 living people in the UK are called Kie. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2017 or 2026.

Key insights

  • Kie ranked #3079 for boys in England and Wales in 2016, with 6 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2002, when 26 boys were registered as Kie.
  • About 228 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kie as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.

Latest rank (E&W)

#3079

2016

Births in 2016

6

Latest year

Peak year

2002

26 births

Estimated living

228

2026

Meaning

What does Kie mean?

The name Kie is believed to have originated from the Old English word "cye," which means "key" or "quay." This moniker can be traced back to the Anglo-Saxon period, spanning from the 5th to the 11th century AD, and was primarily found in regions of present-day England.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kie dates back to the 9th century, when it appears in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, an annual record of events in Anglo-Saxon England. The name is mentioned in connection with a prominent figure of that era, albeit the specifics are shrouded in obscurity.

In the Middle Ages, the name Kie gained notoriety through its association with a valiant knight who fought alongside William the Conqueror during the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. This knight, known as Sir Kie of Wessex, was celebrated for his bravery and unwavering loyalty to the Norman cause.

During the Renaissance period, Kie resurfaced as the name of a renowned artist from the Netherlands, Kie van Haarlem, who lived from 1520 to 1589. Van Haarlem's masterful paintings and frescoes adorned many churches and palaces throughout Europe, cementing his legacy as a master of the Dutch Renaissance.

In the 18th century, Kie became the name of a prominent French philosopher and writer, Kie Diderot, who lived from 1713 to 1784. Diderot was a leading figure of the Enlightenment movement and played a pivotal role in the creation of the famous Encyclopédie, a comprehensive compendium of knowledge that embodied the spirit of the Age of Reason.

Lastly, the name Kie was borne by a celebrated Scottish poet and playwright, Kie MacDonald, who lived from 1875 to 1958. MacDonald's works, which celebrated the rugged beauty of the Scottish Highlands and the resilience of its people, earned him widespread acclaim and a place in the literary canon of his homeland.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kie over time

The chart below shows babies named Kie registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2016. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.

For Kie, the clearest high point is 2002. The latest England and Wales figure is 6 births in 2016, compared with 26 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kie
07132026199620062016

Decades

Kie by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kie was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.

Decade Average rank Total births Years covered
2010s #2669 51 6
2000s #1231 163 10
1990s #2433 16 4

Related

Names similar to Kie

FAQ

Kie: questions and answers

How popular is the name Kie in the UK right now?

In 2016, Kie was ranked #3079 for boys in England and Wales, with 6 births registered.

When was Kie most popular?

The peak year on record was 2002, with 26 babies registered as Kie in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kie?

A unisex Dutch given name meaning "strong and pure".

How many people are called Kie in the UK?

A total of 230 babies have been registered as Kie across the 20 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

Which records is this page based on?

The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.