UK name, mostly boys
Kye
A masculine English name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Kyle.
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.
Kye is mostly registered for boys in the UK records. People looking for Kye popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #1108, with 26 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 267 births.
This profile covers 4,012 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, 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 10% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 4,134 living people in the UK are called Kye. 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
- • Kye ranked #1108 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 26 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 267 boys were registered as Kye.
- • Kye ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #433 in 2021.
- • About 4,134 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kye as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
- • Across the England and Wales records shown here, 99.9% of Kye registrations are for boys.
Latest rank (E&W)
#1108
2024
Births in 2024
26
Latest year
Peak year
2007
267 births
Estimated living
4,134
2026
Gender
Boy and girl registrations for Kye
In England and Wales birth records, Kye has been registered for both boys and girls. Across the years shown here, 99.9% of registrations are for boys and 0.1% 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.
Kye registered for boys
- Ranked #1,108 in 2024
- 26 boys registered in 2024
- Peak: 2007 (267 births)
Kye registered for girls
- Ranked #4,137 in 2002
- 3 girls registered in 2002
- Peak: 1999 (3 births)
Meaning
What does Kye mean?
The name Kye has its origins in Old English and Old Norse languages, tracing back to the 5th to 11th centuries. It is derived from the Old English word "cy" or "cye", meaning "cow" or "bovine". This suggests that the name may have originally been associated with cattle herding or farming communities in the British Isles and Scandinavia during the early medieval period.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kye can be found in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, a historical record compiled in the late 9th century. The entry for the year 876 AD refers to a battle between the Danes and Saxons, where a warrior named Kye is mentioned as fighting alongside King Alfred the Great.
In the 12th century, the name Kye appears in the Icelandic Sagas, a collection of ancient Norse literature. The Saga of Grettir the Strong, written around 1180 AD, mentions a character named Kye Sölmundarson, who was a renowned Viking warrior and explorer.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kye was relatively uncommon but still found usage throughout various parts of Europe. One notable bearer of the name was Kye of Anjou, a French nobleman who lived in the 13th century and served as a knight in the court of King Louis IX.
In the 16th century, the name Kye gained some prominence in Scotland, where it was often spelled as "Kie". One famous Scotsman with this name was Kie Muir, a renowned philosopher and theologian who lived from 1532 to 1598 and was a professor at the University of Glasgow.
Another historical figure with the name Kye was Kye Grönvall, a Swedish military officer who lived from 1667 to 1734. He played a significant role in the Great Northern War, serving as a general under King Charles XII of Sweden.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kye over time
The chart below compares boys and girls registered as Kye 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 Kye, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 26 births in 2024, compared with 267 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kye by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kye 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 | #980 | 166 | 5 |
| 2010s | #405 | 1,321 | 10 |
| 2000s | #195 | 2,101 | 10 |
| 1990s | #278 | 424 | 4 |
Geography
Where Kye is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kye. 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.
Kye ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #433 in 2021.
Across the UK
Kye in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#727 in 2024
22 years of NRS records, 133 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#433 in 2021
5 years of NISRA records, 22 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kye
-
Kye Whyte
sport cyclist
British male BMX rider
1999-
Related
Names similar to Kye
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kit 3,529
- Kristian 2,788
FAQ
Kye: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kye in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kye was ranked #1108 for boys in England and Wales, with 26 births registered.
When was Kye most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 267 babies registered as Kye in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kye?
A masculine English name of uncertain origin, possibly a variant of Kyle.
How many people are called Kye in the UK?
A total of 4,012 babies have been registered as Kye across the 29 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 133 more in Scotland and 22 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kye most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kye ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #433 in 2021. 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.