UK name, mostly girls
Kiri
A Japanese gender-neutral name meaning "mist" or "fog".
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.
Kiri is mostly registered for girls in the UK records. People looking for Kiri popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 1997, with 27 births.
This profile covers 291 England and Wales registrations across 27 recorded years from 1996 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 15% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 296 living people in the UK are called Kiri. 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
- • Kiri ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 1997, when 27 girls were registered as Kiri.
- • Kiri ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #506 in 1989.
- • About 296 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kiri as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 98.6% of Kiri registrations are for girls.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4843
2024
Births in 2024
4
Latest year
Peak year
1997
27 births
Estimated living
296
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Kiri
In England and Wales birth records, Kiri has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 1.4% of registrations are for boys and 98.6% are for girls.
These figures use the sex categories in the published baby-name files. They are useful for spotting how the name is used at registration, but they are not a live measure of gender identity or everyone living with the name today.
Kiri registered for boys
- Ranked #2,501 in 2000
- 4 boys registered in 2000
- Peak: 2000 (4 births)
Kiri registered for girls
- Ranked #4,843 in 2024
- 4 girls registered in 2024
- Peak: 1997 (27 births)
Meaning
What does Kiri mean?
The name Kiri has its origins in several different languages and cultures. It is a Japanese name that can be written using the kanji characters 霧 or 桐. The kanji 霧 means "mist" or "fog," while 桐 means "paulownia tree." In Japanese, the name is pronounced as "kee-ree."
Kiri is also a name found in the Estonian language, where it means "to write" or "to scratch." In this context, it is likely derived from the Proto-Germanic root *kriz-an, which means "to scratch" or "to carve."
In the Tamil language spoken in southern India and parts of Sri Lanka, the name Kiri is derived from the word "கிரி" (kiri), which means "mountain" or "hill." It is a unisex name in Tamil culture.
The name Kiri has been recorded in various historical texts and records throughout different cultures. In Japanese folklore, Kiri is the name of a legendary princess who was said to have been born from a paulownia tree. This story is found in the Kojiki, a collection of ancient Japanese myths and legends dating back to the 8th century.
In Estonian history, Kiri was the name of a 13th-century Estonian folk hero and rebel leader who fought against the German crusaders during the Livonian Crusade. He is remembered as a symbol of resistance against foreign invaders.
Some notable people named Kiri throughout history include:
1. Kiri Te Kanawa (born 1944), a renowned New Zealand opera singer of Maori and European descent. 2. Kiri Raʻe (born 1983), a New Zealand rugby union player of Tongan descent. 3. Kiri Baga (born 1963), an American actress and model of Estonian descent. 4. Kiri Bai (1835-1858), an Indian poet and writer from the state of Rajasthan, known for her contributions to the Braj Bhasha literature. 5. Kiri Kazhugu (10th century), a Tamil poet and military commander who served under the Chola king Rajaraja Chola I.
While the name Kiri has diverse origins and meanings across different cultures, it has been used as a given name throughout history, often carrying associations with natural elements, literary traditions, or historical figures.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kiri over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Kiri in England and Wales, from 1996 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 Kiri, the clearest high point is 1997. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 27 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kiri by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kiri 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 | #4123 | 25 | 5 |
| 2010s | #3288 | 64 | 8 |
| 2000s | #1719 | 131 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1275 | 71 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kiri is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kiri. 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.
Kiri ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #506 in 1989.
Across the UK
Kiri in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#506 in 1989
2 years of NRS records, 7 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kiri
-
Kiri Pritchard-McLean
comedian; master of ceremonies; stand-up comedian
British-Welsh comedian
1986-
Related
Names similar to Kiri
- 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
Kiri: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kiri in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kiri was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Kiri most popular?
The peak year on record was 1997, with 27 babies registered as Kiri in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kiri?
A Japanese gender-neutral name meaning "mist" or "fog".
How many people are called Kiri in the UK?
A total of 291 babies have been registered as Kiri across the 27 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 7 more in Scotland.
Where is Kiri most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kiri ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #506 in 1989. 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.