UK girl's name
Kiki
A Japanese feminine name representing the cheerful call of a bird.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kiki is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kiki popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #2115, with 13 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2013, with 57 births.
This profile covers 654 England and Wales registrations across 26 recorded years from 1998 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, 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 655 living people in the UK are called Kiki. 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 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kiki ranked #2115 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 13 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2013, when 57 girls were registered as Kiki.
- • Kiki ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #663 in 2013.
- • About 655 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kiki as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#2115
2024
Births in 2024
13
Latest year
Peak year
2013
57 births
Estimated living
655
2026
Meaning
What does Kiki mean?
The name Kiki is believed to have originated from the Japanese language, where it is a diminutive form of the name Keiko. The name Keiko itself is derived from the Japanese words "kei," meaning "blessed" or "respect," and "ko," meaning "child."
One of the earliest known references to the name Kiki can be found in the Japanese folktale "Kiki's Delivery Service" by Eiko Kadono. Published in 1985, the story follows the adventures of a young witch named Kiki as she embarks on her mandatory year of training.
In ancient Japanese culture, the name Kiki was often associated with qualities such as strength, resilience, and determination. It was believed that giving a child a name with these connotations would imbue them with similar traits.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kiki was Kiki Musamune, a renowned Japanese swordsmith who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. His swords were highly prized for their exceptional craftsmanship and are considered national treasures in Japan.
Another notable figure was Kiki Dee, an English singer-songwriter born Pauline Matthews in 1947. She achieved widespread success in the 1970s with hits such as "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" (a duet with Elton John) and "I've Got the Music in Me."
In the world of literature, Kiki Strike is the main character in a series of novels by Kirsten Miller, first published in 2006. The books follow the adventures of a group of eccentric teenagers led by the enigmatic Kiki Strike.
In the realm of sports, Kiki Bertens is a Dutch professional tennis player born in 1992. She has won numerous titles on the WTA Tour and reached a career-high ranking of No. 4 in the world in 2019.
Lastly, Kiki Dimoula is a celebrated Greek poet born in 1931. Her work has been widely translated and has earned her numerous awards, including the prestigious European Prize for Literature in 2004.
These are just a few examples of the diverse array of individuals who have borne the name Kiki throughout history, showcasing its enduring appeal across various cultures and disciplines.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kiki over time
The chart below shows babies named Kiki registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1998 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kiki, the clearest high point is 2013. The latest England and Wales figure is 13 births in 2024, compared with 57 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kiki by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kiki 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #1709 | 96 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1072 | 343 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1511 | 205 | 9 |
| 1990s | #2736 | 10 | 2 |
Geography
Where Kiki is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kiki. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kiki ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #663 in 2013.
Across the UK
Kiki in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#663 in 2013
1 years of NRS records, 4 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kiki
-
Kiki Cheung
actor
1995-
-
Kiki McDonough
designer
British designer
Related
Names similar to Kiki
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kiki: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kiki in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kiki was ranked #2115 for girls in England and Wales, with 13 births registered.
When was Kiki most popular?
The peak year on record was 2013, with 57 babies registered as Kiki in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kiki?
A Japanese feminine name representing the cheerful call of a bird.
How many people are called Kiki in the UK?
A total of 654 babies have been registered as Kiki across the 26 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 4 more in Scotland.
Where is Kiki most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kiki ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #663 in 2013. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
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.