Boys' name · peaked in 2017
King name popularity since 1925
35,826 babies born in the US from 1925 to 2025 were named King. Half of them were born in 2016 or earlier, so the typical King is about 10 years old in 2026. King peaked in 2017 as the #147 name for boys, and it ranked #405 in 2025.
Key facts
- US babies since 1925
- 35,826
- Named King, 1925–2025
- In 2025
- #405
- for boys in 2025 (786 babies)
- Girls / boys
- 99.9% boys
- 40 girls · 35,786 boys
- Most popular in
- Nevada
- 3.91× its national share
Peak year is the year King made up the largest share of US boys, in records going back to 1880. Typical age is based on births from 1925 on, not on who is living today.
King births per year, 1925–2025
2017 was the biggest year for King both by count and as a share of all babies.
- Fastest rise: Between 2008 and 2013, King became 6.9× more common, from 1 in 6,200 baby boys to 1 in 896.
- Steepest fall: Between 2020 and 2025, its share of baby boys fell by 65%, from 1 in 761 to 1 in 2,170.
Shaded on the chart. Both compare King's share of all US boys five years apart, counting only years with at least 100 babies named King.
Decade by decade
Babies named King in each decade, and its rank among boys' names in the middle year of the decade (1935, 1945 … 2025).
| Decade | Girls | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1925–29 | 5 | 468 | – |
| 1930s | 0 | 801 | #755 |
| 1940s | 0 | 818 | #673 |
| 1950s | 0 | 708 | #902 |
| 1960s | 5 | 454 | #1,119 |
| 1970s | 0 | 316 | #1,685 |
| 1980s | 0 | 335 | #1,580 |
| 1990s | 0 | 439 | #2,073 |
| 2000s | 0 | 1,950 | #1,107 |
| 2010s | 25 | 20,440 | #163 |
| 2020–25 | 5 | 9,057 | #405 |
Ranks count every name given to at least 5 boys that year, so they can go past 1,000.
Generation fingerprint
74.4% of babies named King from 1925 to 2025 were born in the Gen Alpha years (2013–2025). The full split by generation:
Where King is most popular
The index compares King's share of babies in each state with its share nationwide, 1925–2025 (1.50× = 50% more common). States with at least 300 babies named King.
| State | Index | Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Nevada | 3.91× | 460 |
| Georgia | 2.59× | 2,356 |
| Florida | 2.54× | 3,027 |
| South Carolina | 2.18× | 1,008 |
| North Carolina | 1.70× | 1,592 |
Other spellings
Spellings that sound like King and were given to at least 1,000 boys from 1925 to 2025, with the year each one was most popular.
| Spelling | Boys | Peak year |
|---|---|---|
| King (this page) | 35,786 | 2017 |
| Kyng | 2,367 | 2020 |
Names with a similar story
Of the other 1999 names on this site, these six had the share of babies closest in shape to King's from 1925 to 2025, however common each one got. Each line is scaled to its own high; the dashed line is King.
Names from the same era
Other common names that peaked within two years of King (2017).
Source: U.S. Social Security Administration national and state baby-name data, which covers names given to at least 5 babies of one sex in a year. About the data