Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 2004

Kaya

Meaning Kaya is a given name most commonly found in Turkey and Japan Gender Unisex · 94% girls Rank 2025 #1,133 Trend → Stable

Kaya is a given name most commonly found in Turkey and Japan.

Rank 2025
#1,133
among girls · ↓166 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
221
named Kaya · -23% vs 2024
How common
1 in 7,802
girls born in 2025
Peak year
2004
561 babies
All-time total
10,976
#1,625 all-time among girls
First recorded
1968
in Social Security records

Kaya popularity over time

10,976 babies have been named Kaya since 1968, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.10.20.30.418801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
GirlsBoys

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s – – – – – –
1960s 12 – 12 1 – #6,589
1970s 93 5 98 10 +717% #3,327
1980s 191 27 218 22 +122% #3,343
1990s 975 91 1,066 107 +389% #1,054
2000s 4,473 284 4,757 476 +346% #540
2010s 3,104 167 3,271 327 -31% #723
2020s (to 2025) 1,466 88 1,554 259 -21% #967

Where Kaya is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 girls (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 girls Implied rank
2026 205 0.13 outside top 500
2027 203 0.13 outside top 500
2028 202 0.13 outside top 500
2029 201 0.13 outside top 500
2030 201 0.12 outside top 500

Where Kaya is most popular

Girls named Kaya per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.152 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, Illinois, and California.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are girls named Kaya born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Girls 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Hawaii 11 0.960 +533%
Illinois 69 0.301 +99%
California 241 0.287 +89%
Washington 40 0.277 +83%
Arizona 37 0.264 +74%
Virginia 40 0.235 +55%
New Jersey 42 0.233 +53%
Colorado 23 0.206 +36%
New York 79 0.199 +32%
Utah 16 0.192 +27%
Massachusetts 23 0.190 +25%
Michigan 29 0.159 +5%
Pennsylvania 36 0.152 ≈ national
Missouri 18 0.149 ≈ national
Florida 62 0.145 ≈ national
North Carolina 28 0.123 -19%
Maryland 13 0.123 -19%
Nevada 5 0.108 -29%
Ohio 25 0.105 -30%
Oklahoma 7 0.095 -37%
Oregon 6 0.092 -39%
Texas 73 0.091 -40%
Kansas 5 0.087 -43%
Tennessee 12 0.076 -50%
Minnesota 6 0.056 -63%
Georgia 10 0.044 -71%
Indiana 6 0.043 -72%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maine – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kaya

Kaya is uncommon for girls in the United States, ranked #1,133 in 2025 with 206 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1968, 10,976 American babies have been named Kaya, about 94% girls and 6% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 2004, when 561 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kaya stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kaya?

The median living Kaya is about 17 years old; half are between 10 and 22. An estimated 11 thousand people named Kaya are alive in the United States today.

median 17 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kaya year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 206 #1,133 15 #6,001
2024 269 #967 18 #5,342
2023 247 #1,026 18 #5,360
2022 254 #1,019 14 #6,325
2021 254 #1,009 10 #7,874
2020 236 #1,056 13 #6,470
2019 268 #973 15 #5,965
2018 254 #1,022 18 #5,211
2017 282 #937 15 #5,941
2016 282 #962 10 #7,882
2015 326 #860 15 #5,877
2014 264 #1,000 16 #5,596
2013 357 #761 21 #4,541
2012 331 #810 18 #5,144
2011 383 #723 18 #5,092
2010 357 #767 21 #4,604
2009 426 #685 17 #5,434
2008 480 #641 31 #3,529
2007 428 #684 18 #5,115
2006 447 #645 29 #3,566
2005 435 #642 21 #4,270
2004 528 #541 33 #3,048
2003 519 #540 18 #4,524
2002 499 #551 47 #2,235
2001 410 #613 56 #1,945
2000 301 #758 14 #5,189
1995 82 #1,769 13 #4,661
1990 38 #2,980 – –
1985 19 #4,205 – –
1980 7 #8,567 – –
1975 12 #4,987 5 #5,906
1970 6 #7,478 – –
1965 – – – –
1960 – – – –
1955 – – – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kaya

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Kaya Scodelario Kaya Scodelario British actress (born 1992) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kaya Sultan Daughter of Ottoman Sultan Murad IV 1633–1659 · 17th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kaya, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kaya?

The median living Kaya is about 17 years old. Half of all living Kayas are between 10 and 22 years old.

How many people named Kaya are alive today?

An estimated 11 thousand people named Kaya are alive in the United States, based on 10,976 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kaya mean?

Kaya is a given name most commonly found in Turkey and Japan.

How popular is the name Kaya in 2025?

Kaya ranked #1,133 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 206 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kaya?

10,976 babies have been named Kaya in the United States since 1968, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kaya most popular?

Kaya peaked in 2004, when 561 newborns received the name.

Is Kaya a boy or girl name?

Kaya is used for both: about 94% of babies named Kaya have been girls and 6% boys.

Is the name Kaya rising or falling?

Kaya is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kaya become more popular?

Kaya looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 201 girls named Kaya in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kaya?

Well-known people named Kaya include Kaya Scodelario (actor), Kaya Sultan (companion).

Names like Kaya

Names that sound and feel close to Kaya: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kaya with similar names → More names starting with K →