Unique Names that Start With K

This unusual English word name and surname was the middle name of American sci-fi writer Philip K. Dick, after his mother's maiden name. Its striking sound and appealing meaning make it a promising virtue name possibility for either gender.

Kindred

The next Destiny? Kismet seems like it might be fated for increased use. 

Kismet

Keira Knightley made her first name famous, single-handedly changing the most popular spelling from Kiera to Keira. Now we're moving on to use her last name as baby name inspiration. Knightley is a last name used as a first that we predict will be used more for girls, with its trendy -ley ending, in the future.

Knightley

Kyriaki is the feminine variation of Kyriakos, derived from the Greek word kyrios, meaning "lord." It is also the Greek word for Sunday, meaning it doubles up as a word name, and a saint's name, borne by a 3rd-century Christian saint who refused to compromise her faith, despite multiple, prolonged periods of torture.

Kyriaki

Created by the Polish playwright Juliusz Słowacki in 1833 for his eponymous romantic hero, Kordian has been in rare use in Poland since. 

Słowacki based the name on the Latin cor or cordis, meaning "heart", making this an excellent rare choice for a baby born around Valentine's Day.

Kordian

Found as both a girls' first name and a surname in the African nation of Uganda, Kisakye has a lovely meaning but a non-intuitive pronunciation for English speakers. As with difficult-but-beautiful names such as Saoirse and Xiomara, you may decide Kisakye is worth the effort.

Kisakye

A Finnish word name for the lily of the valley flower.

Kielo

Poetic and easy to pronounce (it's keets), this is one of many poets' names to consider, such as Auden, Eliot, Frost, Byron, Lorca, Marlowe, Blake, Emerson and Tennyson. Likely meaning "kite", in reference to the bird of the same name, it could also be used as a nickname to Keaton, or as an alternative to vintage Kit. 

Keats

Actor Mark Ruffalo honed this surname down to its basics when he chose it for his son. A more usable expansion might be the Irish surname Keenan/Keenen.

Keen

Kendall is on the decline, but Kendry is a fresh and rare alternative. It is a traditionally masculine name in Madagascar.

Kendry

Kincső was invented in the 19th century by the Hungarian author Mór Jókai for his book A jövő század regénye, "The Novel of the Next Century." It's still a Top 100 choice in Hungary, where it peaked in 2007.

Kincső

With an easy-going and interesting sound, the surname-inspired Keyes might fit in with the likes of Hayes, Reese, Kai and Keegan. While Keyes has never appeared in the US stats, Key (perhaps as a variation of Kay or Kai) is given to a handful of boys each year.
 
Like many names, Keyes has a number of origins, one being from the Old English word cȳse meaning "keys" or "lock". As such, it is an occupational name, given to a locksmith or an important keeper of keys. Following its Irish roots, Keyes is an Anglicized form of MacAoidh or MacAodha, via McKee. This gives it the meaning "son of Aodh", or, more literally, "son of fire".
 
One other possibility is that it is a variation of Kay - one of the Knights of the Round Table - which might link it to the Welsh Cai, possibly derived from Gaius, meaning "to rejoice", though this origin is more contested.

Keyes

Kizzy was a character in Alex Haley's Roots; this and other Keziah variations were widely used among enslaved people. In Roots the name is explained by the hero Kunta as 'you sit down' or 'you stay put' in the Mandinka language meaning that 'this child would never get sold away'.

Kizzy

Kerensa, forever romantic, is a rare Cornish name spelled with an 's' or 'z', the most modern of the Karen family. Kerensa (or Kerenza) has ties to the Welsh Cerys.
 Kerensa is a name favored by novelists who are using a Cornish setting, such as Victoria Holt in The Legend of the Seventh Virgin.
 The Kerenza spelling has a bit more zip.

Kerensa

A unisex Hawaiian name with a fitting meaning. It also happens to mean "cloud" in Maori.

Kapua

A lively boys' name that works well for girls. 

Keenan

A diminutive form of the Finnish Katariina, used by Tove Jannson in her book The True Deciever.

Katri

This endearing nickname name is one Katherine pet form that predates all the Kathys and Katies, having been fairly common in the eighteenth century. With the current mini-craze for animal-related names, Kitty is sounding cute and cuddly again&mdash;she's already jumped back onto the U.K. list, at number 199.
 Kitty was one of the Bennet sisters in Pride and Prejudice and was a character in Dickens's Bleak House; Ginger Rogers won an Oscar for her performance in Kitty Foyle, and vintage TV fans might remember the alluring Miss Kitty in Gunsmoke. Since then there have been pop culture Kittys galore, including Calista Flockhart's character on Brothers and Sisters, a mom on That 70's Show and Kitty Pryde, one of the X-Men.
 Singer Kitty Carlisle was born Catherine, country singer Kitty Wells grew up as Muriel, and Presidential candidate's wife Kitty Dukakis was born Katharine.
 A historical reference is Kitty Hawk, where the Wright brothers performed their aeronautical experiments. 
 Short form Kit has been used in recent years for several strong-willed movie heroines and may prove a lively alternative to Kate.

Kitty

As in the iconic film brand. Kody is a nickname possibility.
 
The brand got its name from founder George Eastman, who needed something that could easily be trademarked and loved the letter K. He was quoted saying, "In regard to the word Kodak I can say that it was a purely arbitrary combination of letters, not derived in whole or part from any existing word, arrived at after considerable search for a word that would answer all requirements for a trademark name. The principle of these was that it must be short; incapable of being misspelled so as to destroy its identity; must have a vigorous and distinctive personality, and must meet the requirements of the various foreign trademark laws."

Kodak

Kinta

unique names that start with the letter K, including Kindred, Kismet, Knightley, Kyriaki, Kordian, Kisakye, Kielo, Keats, Keen, Kendry, Kincső, Keyes, Kizzy, Kerensa, Kapua, Keenan, Katri, Kitty, Kodak, and Kinta. (Page 13)

Unique Names that Start With K

Browse by letter