Baby Names US
Unisex name ★ peaked 1960

Kim

Gender Unisex · 84% girls Rank 2025 #4,228 Trend ↓ Falling 19%

Clipping of Kimball and Kimberley as a male name, and of Kimberley and Kimberly as a female name.

Rank 2025
#4,228
among girls · ↑606 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
40
named Kim · -2% vs 2024
How common
1 in 47,273
girls born in 2025
Peak year
1960
13,635 babies
All-time total
214,768
#221 all-time among girls
First recorded
1912
in Social Security records

Kim popularity over time

214,768 babies have been named Kim since 1912, 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
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020GirlsBoys
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 5 22 27 3 – #3,915
1920s 57 66 123 12 +356% #2,505
1930s 209 310 519 52 +322% #1,257
1940s 1,285 2,722 4,007 401 +672% #513
1950s 56,080 21,208 77,288 7,729 +1829% #35
1960s 94,388 7,188 101,576 10,158 +31% #34
1970s 20,697 1,818 22,515 2,252 -78% #78
1980s 3,816 911 4,727 473 -79% #383
1990s 1,600 407 2,007 201 -58% #787
2000s 875 150 1,025 103 -49% #1,546
2010s 587 93 680 68 -34% #2,087
2020s (to 2025) 218 56 274 46 -33% #3,750

Where Kim 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 33 0.02 outside top 500
2027 32 0.02 outside top 500
2028 31 0.02 outside top 500
2029 31 0.02 outside top 500
2030 30 0.02 outside top 500

The story of Kim

Kim is rare for girls in the United States, ranked #4,228 in 2025 with 34 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1912, 214,768 American babies have been named Kim, about 84% girls and 16% boys, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1960, when 13,635 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1960s.

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

How old are people named Kim?

The median living Kim is about 63 years old; half are between 58 and 67. An estimated 187 thousand people named Kim are alive in the United States today.

median 63 020406080100

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

Kim 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 34 #4,228 6 #11,404
2024 28 #4,834 13 #6,661
2023 38 #3,944 9 #8,615
2022 40 #3,797 10 #8,069
2021 39 #3,847 8 #9,306
2020 39 #3,750 10 #7,828
2019 54 #3,024 10 #7,959
2018 36 #4,040 5 #13,263
2017 47 #3,366 8 #9,329
2016 53 #3,120 7 #10,265
2015 72 #2,516 11 #7,331
2014 69 #2,571 19 #4,980
2013 62 #2,792 8 #9,275
2012 92 #2,087 9 #8,557
2011 50 #3,293 7 #10,275
2010 52 #3,181 9 #8,489
2009 48 #3,439 17 #5,444
2008 64 #2,819 7 #10,531
2007 104 #1,981 10 #7,917
2006 85 #2,259 10 #7,756
2005 73 #2,421 13 #6,061
2004 91 #2,025 18 #4,702
2003 83 #2,113 17 #4,726
2002 111 #1,661 14 #5,279
2001 100 #1,787 26 #3,370
2000 116 #1,546 18 #4,306
1995 135 #1,258 31 #2,473
1990 256 #787 66 #1,374
1985 349 #565 91 #960
1980 602 #383 113 #830
1975 1,481 #178 164 #632
1970 4,729 #78 318 #456
1965 10,083 #43 611 #306
1960 12,477 #34 1,158 #237
1955 5,687 #75 3,490 #98
1950 285 #481 795 #232
1945 77 #859 188 #435
1940 31 #1,363 66 #763
1935 20 #1,742 24 #1,410
1930 9 #3,198 7 #3,447
1925 8 #3,863 – –
1920 5 #5,362 – –
1915 – – 5 #4,121
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kim

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

  1. 1 Kim Kardashian Kim Kardashian American media personality (born 1980) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kim Basinger Kim Basinger American actress (born 1953) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kim Cattrall Kim Cattrall British and Canadian actress (born 1956) Contemporary
  4. 4 Kim Novak Kim Novak American actress (born 1933) Contemporary
  5. 5 Kim Philby Kim Philby British intelligence officer and Soviet double agent (1912–1988) Contemporary
  6. 6 Kim Jong-nam Kim Jong-nam Son of Kim Jong Il (1971–2017) Contemporary
  7. 7 Kim Wilde Kim Wilde English pop singer (born 1960) Contemporary
  8. 8 Kim Carnes Kim Carnes American singer and songwriter (born 1945) Contemporary
  9. 9 Kim Peek Kim Peek American savant (1951–2009) Contemporary
  10. 10 Kim Hunter Kim Hunter American actress (1922–2002) Contemporary
  11. 11 Kim Dae-jung Kim Dae-jung President of South Korea from 1998 to 2003 1924–2009 · Contemporary
  12. 12 Kim Kyong-hui Kim Kyong-hui Daughter of Kim Il Sung (born 1946) Contemporary
  13. 13 Kim Yong-nam Kim Yong-nam North Korean politician (1928–2025) Contemporary
  14. 14 Kim Young-sam Kim Young-sam President of South Korea from 1993 to 1998 1927–2015 · Contemporary
  15. 15 Kim Hyong-jik Kim Hyong-jik Korean independence activist (1894–1926) 19th century
  16. 16 Kim Jong-suk Kim Jong-suk Wife of Kim Il Sung (1917–1949) 1919–1949 · Contemporary
  17. 17 Kim Jae-gyu Kim Jae-gyu Assassin of South Korean president Park Chung Hee (1924–1980) 1926–1980 · Contemporary
  18. 18 Kim Ki-duk Kim Ki-duk South Korean film director (1960–2020) Contemporary
  19. 19 Kim Jong-un Kim Jong-un Supreme leader of North Korea since 2011 b. 1983 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Kim Tu-bong Kim Tu-bong Korean linguist and politician (1886–1958?) 1889–1958 · 19th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kim?

The median living Kim is about 63 years old. Half of all living Kims are between 58 and 67 years old.

How many people named Kim are alive today?

An estimated 187 thousand people named Kim are alive in the United States, based on 214,768 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kim mean?

Clipping of Kimball and Kimberley as a male name, and of Kimberley and Kimberly as a female name.

How popular is the name Kim in 2025?

Kim ranked #4,228 among girls' names in the United States in 2025, with 34 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kim?

214,768 babies have been named Kim in the United States since 1912, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kim most popular?

Kim peaked in 1960, when 13,635 newborns received the name.

Is Kim a boy or girl name?

Kim is used for both: about 84% of babies named Kim have been girls and 16% boys.

Is the name Kim rising or falling?

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

Will Kim become more popular?

Kim is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 30 girls named Kim in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Kim?

Well-known people named Kim include Kim Kardashian (celebrity), Kim Basinger (actor), Kim Cattrall (actor).

Names like Kim

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

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