Given name & surname
Kye
“from the narrow channel”·“an archer”
In English use, Kye is a short form of Kyle. One interpretation is “from the narrow channel.” Kye is a variant of Kai. A connection with the sea occurs in Hawaiian interpretations. Kai should not be applied automatically to the European name.
Meaning & origin
What it means
In English use, Kye is a short form of Kyle. One interpretation is “from the narrow channel.” Kye is a variant of Kai. A connection with the sea occurs in Hawaiian interpretations. Kai should not be applied automatically to the European name. In English use, Kye is a short form of Kyler. One Danish interpretation is “an archer.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
In English use, Kye is a short form of Kyle. An origin associated with Kyle is Scottish. Kye is a variant of Kai. The Scandinavian, North German, and Frisian name has an uncertain origin. Hawaiian use provides a separate naming context. In English use, Kye is a short form of Kyler. An origin associated with Kyler is Danish.
Explained through its name family
How it developed
In English usage, Kye is a short form of Kyle. In English usage, Kye is a short form of Kyler. Kye is a variant of Kai. The shared background comes through Kai: For the European form, proposed connections include an Old Norse word for a hen or chicken and the Roman name Gaius. Neither explanation is certain.
Combines direct and name-family evidence
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1956. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kye through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 5,904
- 5,557 boys · 347 girls
- Most popular year
- 2016
- 369 babies
- 2025
- 142
- #1,369 for boys · #14,134 for girls
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −30%
- Easing
Boys, girls and both
The balance of boys and girls given this name has shifted over time. Recent births are 96% boys.
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 136 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 1,369 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 30.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 356 in 2016. It also appeared in 6 birth records for girls in 2025. In 2025, Texas had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (19). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 4,864 as a first name in 2020; 670 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.
Kye’s family of names
In English usage, Kye is a short form of Kyle. Kye has a related form in Kai. Kye has a related form in Kyle.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 3
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
People named Kye
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Kye, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Locke
“man of the forest” · “from the fortress”
>99% boys
Leith
“from the broad river”
>99% boys
Woods
“a woman of the forest” · “a man of the forest”
98% boys · 2% girls
Usher
“from the mouth of the river” · “from. the mouth of the river”
>99% boys
Bentley
“from the meadow of bent grass”
95% boys · 5% girls
Murdoch
“from the sea”
>99% boys
Stone
“as solid as a stone”
94% boys · 6% girls
Jett
“resembling the jet-black lustrous gemstone”
98% boys · 2% girls