King
An English word name from Old English cyning, a ruler. As a surname it often marked service in a royal household rather than royal descent.
King in 2025
King was given to 786 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 815th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 4,218 babies born.
The history of King
King reached its highest point in 2017, when 2,705 babies were given the name, ranking 271st that year.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 37,890 babies have been named King. Half of them were born before 2016, which places the name's centre of gravity with Generation Alpha.
King by decade
| Decade | Babies named King | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 229 | 630 |
| 1890s | 233 | 849 |
| 1900s | 277 | 978 |
| 1910s | 795 | 981 |
| 1920s | 1,003 | 1,255 |
| 1930s | 801 | 1,292 |
| 1940s | 818 | 1,313 |
| 1950s | 708 | 1,618 |
| 1960s | 459 | 2,005 |
| 1970s | 316 | 3,163 |
| 1980s | 335 | 3,088 |
| 1990s | 439 | 4,138 |
| 2000s | 1,950 | 975 |
| 2010s | 20,465 | 271 |
| 2020s | 9,062 | 303 |
Where King is heading
King has fallen 69% over the past decade, from 2,568 babies in 2015 to 786 in 2025.
Names like King
Names that rose and fell at the same time as King.