Kim is forever feminized, despite memories of the Rudyard Kipling character.

Kim was the coolest name... of the 1960s. Kim was popularized by actress Kim Novak, and its energy is still maintained by rapper Lil' Kim, but it holds lil' or no appeal for new babies. Parents who like Kim's short, sweet sound might look to a choice such as Sam, Lou, or Belle.

King is a name that sends a mixed message. While some might think of it as more fitting for a canine, others see it as a strong name with offbeat style and a full court of rich associations, from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Elvis.

King Vidor was an important early Hollywood director; King Camp Gillette invented the safety razor.

If it's king names you're after that aren't King itself, see our list of Names with Royal Meanings or other lists and blogs on royal names.

This unusual two-syllable K name relates to shipbuilding.

A dignified yet gentle surname name occasionally heard in England and the West Indies.

A rarely used member of the Ken- family, Kenelm has a rugged, surname-style feel. Borne by a 9th century martyr and a member of the Mercian royal family, it could make an intriguing namesake for a Kenneth, a Kendra, or a Kendrick.

An update of Tyson for parents who prefer the Ky nickname to Ty. It was the middle name of a character on Heroes.

Kinsey enjoyed popularity blip thanks to similarity to Lindsay, and because of Sue Grafton's alphabet mysteries heroine, Kinsey Millhone. Now, Kinsley has become more popular than Kinsey, perhaps because it's more distinct from Mackenzie offshoot, Kenzie.

Lovers of the name Carter and the Kardashians method of baby naming have popularized this choice, one of many boys' names starting with K that began life as boys' names starting with C. Karter has been in the charts since 2005, riding on the success of the original Carter. Since 2014, Karter has been just inside the Top 200.

Full name that sounds more like a short form; more likely to be spelled Kip.

Regal Kingsley seems like an all-boy name, but a growing number of parents have bestowed this name on a girl. Credit the ever-trendier -ley suffix.

Kingsley is a sophisticated Harry Potter name that entered the US Top 1000 in 2013.

This British last-name-first-name could make a more masculine alternative to Shelby.

Variant of Kendall

A cool, engaging surname, Keaton might feel like a fresh spin on Katelyn, Keeley or Katherine. While it is used ten times more often for boys, 27 girls were still given the name in a recent year.

Kelsey (ex-Frasier) Grammer is a famous male bearer, although most modern Kelseys are female (in the US at least). It derives from several English place names, possibly meaning "Cenel's island", from the Old English name Cenel "fierce".

Téa Leoni and David Duchovny named their kid Kyd in 2002, but he usually goes by his middle name, Miller. Probably a wise choice, given the homonym.

Kimberley is a town in South Africa associated with diamonds and with wealth and luxury in general. It was name for Lord Kimberley, whose surname derived from an English place name. Used for boys in the early twentieth century, it re-emerged as a girls' name in the 1940s, usually spelled Kimberly.

Kenley is an area in the burrough of Croydon in South London, making this a place name in a couple of senses of the term. Kenley and its twin sister Kenlee may be favored by parents looking to name a daughter after dad Ken...or Lee.

Spelling Camden with a K makes it less of a place name—Camden is a downmarket city in New Jersey and an upmarket area of London—and more of a Kardashian-era confection, or maybe konfection. Both Kamden and Camden are in the Top 500 boys’ names.