Given name & surname · also American
Kit
“having great strength”
Kit is connected with Christopher and Katherine.
Meaning & origin
What it means
One American interpretation is “having great strength.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with American and English naming traditions.
How it developed
Kit is used as an affectionate form of Christopher. Kit is used as an affectionate form of Katherine.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1880. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin. In English use, Kit is a diminutive of Katherine. The history of Katherine gives this family its wider story. Katherine’s historical associations include Catherine de’ Medici, wife of King Henry II and regent.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
Kit through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 6,262
- 3,946 boys · 2,316 girls
- Most popular year
- 2025
- 403 babies
- 2025
- 403
- #1,127 for girls · #1,103 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +126%
- Rising fast
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 53% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 208 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 1,127 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 172.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 195 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (18). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 5,404 as a first name in 2020; 380 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Kit’s family of names
In English usage, Kit is a diminutive of Christopher. Kit has a surname derivative in KIDSON. Kit has a related form in Kitt.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 6
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 2
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 1
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Kit
- Kit HaringtonEnglish actor (born 1986)
- Kit CarsonAmerican frontiersman and Union Army general (1809-1868)
- Kit ConnorBritish actor (born 2004)
- Kit BondAmerican politician (1939–2025)
- Kit MalthouseBritish politicianborn 1966
- Kit Symonsassociation football player and managerborn 1971
- Kit LambertBritish record producer, record label owner, and the manager of The Who1935–1981
- Kit ChanSingaporean singer and actressborn 1972
- Kit CulkinAmerican actorborn 1944
Characters named Kit: Phantom (The Phantom comic strip).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kit, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Royal
“of the king; a regal man”
69% boys · 31% girls
Zariel
“the lion princess”
50% boys · 50% girls
Quincy
“the fifth-born child”
66% boys · 34% girls
Wynn
“one who is fairskinned” · “a beloved friend”
49% boys · 51% girls
Ellis
“Jehovah is my God” · “noble”
73% boys · 27% girls
Sutton
“from the southern town”
33% boys · 67% girls
Remington
“from the town of the raven's family”
65% boys · 35% girls
Kington
“king”
—