boys' name ★ peaked 1965

Kip

Meaning Kip is a given name Gender Boy · 2% girls Rank 2025 #1,626 Trend ↑ Rising 46%

Kip is a given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:

Rank 2025
#1,626
among boys · ↓163 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
104
named Kip · -16% vs 2024
How common
1 in 16,424
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1965
432 babies
All-time total
8,722
#1,319 all-time among boys
First recorded
1935
in Social Security records

Kip popularity over time

8,722 babies have been named Kip since 1935, 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
0.060.130.190.2518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

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 – 26 26 3 – #2,119
1940s 11 376 387 39 +1388% #827
1950s 68 1,441 1,509 151 +290% #536
1960s 68 2,639 2,707 271 +79% #379
1970s – 1,350 1,350 135 -50% #595
1980s 7 828 835 84 -38% #776
1990s – 454 454 45 -46% #1,375
2000s – 254 254 25 -44% #3,057
2010s – 527 527 53 +107% #1,666
2020s (to 2025) – 673 673 112 +113% #1,382

Where Kip is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (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 boys Implied rank
2026 110 0.06 outside top 500
2027 116 0.07 outside top 500
2028 121 0.07 outside top 500
2029 125 0.07 outside top 500
2030 129 0.08 outside top 500

Where Kip is most popular

Boys named Kip per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.068 per 1,000. Strongest in North Dakota, Minnesota, and Wisconsin.

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

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kip 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 Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
North Dakota 6 0.351 +415%
Minnesota 33 0.269 +294%
Wisconsin 24 0.203 +197%
Iowa 12 0.174 +155%
Indiana 23 0.143 +110%
Ohio 34 0.128 +88%
Missouri 15 0.108 +59%
North Carolina 16 0.063 -8%
Kentucky 5 0.050 -27%
Louisiana 5 0.049 -28%
Pennsylvania 12 0.045 -34%
Georgia 10 0.039 -42%
Tennessee 7 0.039 -43%
Texas 29 0.033 -52%
Illinois 5 0.020 -71%
Florida 6 0.013 -81%
New York 5 0.012 -83%
California 10 0.011 -84%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Idaho – – –
Kansas – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
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 Kip

Kip is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #1,626 in 2025 with 104 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1935, 8,722 American babies have been named Kip. Its peak came in 1965, when 432 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 Kip stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kip?

The median living Kip is about 55 years old; half are between 36 and 62. An estimated 7,500 people named Kip are alive in the United States today.

median 55 020406080100

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

Kip 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 – – 104 #1,626
2024 – – 124 #1,463
2023 – – 135 #1,382
2022 – – 125 #1,452
2021 – – 101 #1,652
2020 – – 84 #1,794
2019 – – 97 #1,666
2018 – – 76 #1,947
2017 – – 74 #1,946
2016 – – 74 #1,965
2015 – – 46 #2,665
2014 – – 50 #2,499
2013 – – 33 #3,302
2012 – – 35 #3,212
2011 – – 21 #4,591
2010 – – 21 #4,613
2009 – – 22 #4,518
2008 – – 24 #4,206
2007 – – 23 #4,304
2006 – – 30 #3,485
2005 – – 25 #3,777
2004 – – 18 #4,703
2003 – – 30 #3,163
2002 – – 30 #3,057
2001 – – 25 #3,465
2000 – – 27 #3,188
1995 – – 44 #1,941
1990 – – 62 #1,426
1985 – – 80 #1,029
1980 7 #8,596 118 #811
1975 – – 117 #767
1970 – – 185 #595
1965 13 #3,642 419 #379
1960 8 #4,962 167 #606
1955 10 #3,924 188 #541
1950 – – 93 #712
1945 – – 42 #989
1940 – – 15 #1,851
1935 – – 8 #2,830
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Famous people named Kip

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

  1. 1 Kip Pardue American actor (born 1975) Contemporary
  2. 2 Kip Thorne Kip Thorne American physicist, writer, and Nobel Laureate (born 1940) Contemporary
  3. 3 Kip Winger Kip Winger American rock musician b. 1961 · Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Kip?

The median living Kip is about 55 years old. Half of all living Kips are between 36 and 62 years old.

How many people named Kip are alive today?

An estimated 7,500 people named Kip are alive in the United States, based on 8,722 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Kip mean?

Kip is a given name. Notable people and characters with the name include:

How popular is the name Kip in 2025?

Kip ranked #1,626 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 104 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kip?

8,722 babies have been named Kip in the United States since 1935, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kip most popular?

Kip peaked in 1965, when 432 newborns received the name.

Is Kip a boy or girl name?

Kip is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 98% of babies with the name.

Is the name Kip rising or falling?

Kip is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Kip become more popular?

Kip is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 129 boys named Kip 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 Kip?

Well-known people named Kip include Kip Pardue (actor), Kip Thorne (physicist), Kip Winger (musician).

Names like Kip

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

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