girls' name ★ peaked 1991

Kayla

Meaning A modern invention possibly based on Kay or Michaela Gender Girl Rank 2025 #364 Trend ↓ Falling 42%

A modern invention possibly based on Kay or Michaela; possibly formed on the pattern of Layla.

Rank 2025
#364
among girls · ↓28 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
838
named Kayla · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 1,918
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1991
18,580 babies
All-time total
347,144
#106 all-time among girls
First recorded
1933
in Social Security records

Kayla popularity over time

347,144 babies have been named Kayla since 1933, 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
3.757.511.251518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 35 – 35 4 – #3,027
1940s 161 – 161 16 +360% #1,723
1950s 700 – 700 70 +335% #985
1960s 1,488 – 1,488 149 +113% #730
1970s 1,942 – 1,942 194 +31% #672
1980s 55,291 154 55,445 5,545 +2755% #20
1990s 155,893 230 156,123 15,612 +182% #11
2000s 94,356 160 94,516 9,452 -39% #13
2010s 30,289 30 30,319 3,032 -68% #49
2020s (to 2025) 6,415 – 6,415 1,069 -65% #216

Where Kayla 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 766 0.48 #408
2027 709 0.44 #437
2028 664 0.41 #464
2029 628 0.39 #482
2030 599 0.37 #495

Where Kayla is most popular

Girls named Kayla per 1,000 girls born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.626 per 1,000. Strongest in Hawaii, New Jersey, and Maryland.

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 Kayla 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 24 2.09 +235%
New Jersey 308 1.71 +173%
Maryland 152 1.43 +129%
District of Columbia 16 1.35 +116%
New York 510 1.29 +106%
Delaware 14 1.23 +97%
California 895 1.06 +70%
Connecticut 61 1.05 +68%
Massachusetts 120 0.992 +59%
Nevada 42 0.904 +45%
Florida 379 0.886 +42%
Illinois 199 0.869 +39%
Iowa 49 0.839 +34%
Pennsylvania 195 0.825 +32%
Virginia 122 0.716 +14%
Texas 539 0.670 +7%
Indiana 94 0.670 +7%
Washington 89 0.616 ≈ national
Ohio 145 0.611 ≈ national
Georgia 135 0.594 -5%
Wisconsin 60 0.583 -7%
Michigan 105 0.576 -8%
Minnesota 58 0.537 -14%
Kansas 31 0.537 -14%
Nebraska 19 0.529 -16%
Arizona 72 0.513 -18%
South Carolina 40 0.445 -29%
North Carolina 97 0.426 -32%
Mississippi 19 0.406 -35%
Tennessee 62 0.391 -37%
Missouri 44 0.365 -42%
Utah 30 0.360 -42%
Oregon 23 0.353 -44%
Alabama 33 0.351 -44%
Louisiana 29 0.331 -47%
Arkansas 17 0.322 -49%
Oklahoma 23 0.313 -50%
New Mexico 7 0.288 -54%
Colorado 32 0.287 -54%
Kentucky 24 0.281 -55%
New Hampshire 5 0.271 -57%
Alaska – – –
Idaho – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
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 Kayla

Kayla is moderately common for girls in the United States, ranked #364 in 2025 with 838 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1933, 347,144 American babies have been named Kayla. Its peak came in 1991, when 18,580 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

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 Kayla stood among all girls' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kayla?

The median living Kayla is about 29 years old; half are between 22 and 34. An estimated 342 thousand people named Kayla are alive in the United States today.

median 29 020406080100

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

Kayla 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 838 #364 – –
2024 935 #336 – –
2023 952 #324 – –
2022 1,133 #280 – –
2021 1,217 #254 – –
2020 1,340 #216 – –
2019 1,613 #182 5 #13,157
2018 1,892 #149 5 #13,180
2017 2,128 #138 – –
2016 2,471 #129 – –
2015 2,740 #116 – –
2014 3,012 #101 – –
2013 3,261 #96 7 #10,212
2012 3,776 #69 – –
2011 4,336 #59 5 #13,359
2010 5,060 #49 8 #9,250
2009 5,847 #35 6 #11,742
2008 6,835 #28 9 #8,666
2007 7,583 #26 14 #6,104
2006 8,226 #26 – –
2005 8,620 #25 20 #4,395
2004 9,773 #18 40 #2,672
2003 10,957 #16 23 #3,788
2002 11,310 #19 14 #5,270
2001 11,892 #17 17 #4,590
2000 13,313 #13 17 #4,485
1995 16,087 #11 20 #3,375
1990 17,538 #14 19 #3,242
1985 2,608 #109 16 #3,019
1980 314 #590 – –
1975 185 #766 – –
1970 158 #854 – –
1965 147 #820 – –
1960 130 #936 – –
1955 67 #1,235 – –
1950 37 #1,536 – –
1945 11 #2,834 – –
1940 6 #4,102 – –
1935 5 #4,555 – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kayla

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

  1. 1 Kayla Harrison Kayla Harrison American Olympic judoka and mixed martial artist (born 1990) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kayla Ewell Kayla Ewell American actress (born 1985) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kayla?

The median living Kayla is about 29 years old. Half of all living Kaylas are between 22 and 34 years old.

How many people named Kayla are alive today?

An estimated 342 thousand people named Kayla are alive in the United States, based on 347,144 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kayla mean?

A modern invention possibly based on Kay or Michaela; possibly formed on the pattern of Layla.

How popular is the name Kayla in 2025?

Kayla ranked #364 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 838 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kayla?

347,144 babies have been named Kayla in the United States since 1933, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kayla most popular?

Kayla peaked in 1991, when 18,580 newborns received the name.

Is Kayla a boy or girl name?

Kayla is overwhelmingly a girl's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kayla rising or falling?

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

Will Kayla become more popular?

Kayla is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 599 girls named Kayla in 2030, which would rank around #495. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kayla?

Well-known people named Kayla include Kayla Harrison (athlete), Kayla Ewell (actor).

Names like Kayla

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

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