Kool K Baby Names
Updated Thu Sep 07 2023
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Spelling baby names with a K, whether they started out being spelled that way or not, may be one of the hottest trends of our time, inspired by the K-named Kardashians. The names of Khloe Kardashian and Kendall and Kylie Jenner leapt in popularity as the family rose in fame.
Along with Kendall and Kylie, other K names in the US Top 300 include Kennedy, Kinsley, Katherine, Kamila, and Kehlani for girls, Kayden, Kai, Kyrie, Karter, and Knox for boys. Unique girl names that start with K with international origins include Kalindi and Kerensa. Unique boy names that start with K with international origins include Kenji and Kwame.
Many traditional Japanese, Hawaiian, and Irish names begin with K, which is now associated with contemporary American names as well. Here are some of the coolest K baby names, ordered by their current popularity on Nameberry.
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- Kai
Origin:
Hawaiian, Frisian, ChineseMeaning:
"sea; warrior; triumph"Description:
Kai is an internationally flexible name with many possible origins and meanings, growing in popularity in the US and a diverse range of European countries.
- Kit
Origin:
English, diminutive of ChristopherMeaning:
"bearer of Christ"Description:
Actor Kit Harington, aka the dreamy Jon Snow on Game of Thrones, has given this nickname-name new style and appeal for boys. Actress Jodie Foster used it for her son back in the 2000s, while actor Kit Connor of Heartstopper fame may have introduced it to a wider audience.
- Krishna
Origin:
SanskritMeaning:
"dark, black"Description:
Krishna is the name of a supreme Hindu god, and is often found in Hindu families. While it leans masculine, it is also given to girls, and a survey of names back in 2014 revealed the split was around 60:40.
- Koa
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"warrior; flowing tree native to Hawaii"Description:
The international popularity of Noah has led to some parents searching for alternatives and the rhyming Koa is now attracting more attention than ever. With its cool K initial and summery, nature-inspired feel, this punchy three letter name has risen more than 600 places since it entered the US charts in 2017.
- Kaia
Origin:
Latin, Scandinavian, or HawaiianMeaning:
"to rejoice or sea"Description:
The new Maia, the next Kayla, Kaia has been on the charts since the year 2000. You might see it as a female form of the also-rising Kai, which means sea in Hawaiian and is sometimes used for girls as well, or as a Kardashianization of the ancient goddess name Caia.
- Kieran
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little black-haired one"Description:
Long popular in Ireland and England, Kieran, the name of Ireland's first-born saint and twenty-five other saints, has been building its U.S. fan base thanks to its strong and attractive sound, and its fashionable Irish brogue. While Ciaran is the more authentic Irish spelling, Kieran is more popular this side of the Atlantic.
- Katherine
Origin:
GreekMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Katherine is one of the oldest, most diverse, and all-around best names: it's powerful, feminine, royal, saintly, classic, popular, and adaptable. Long one of the top girls' names starting with K, Katherine has now been unseated on the popularity list by upstarts Kennedy and Kinsley, but a dip in popularity only adds to its charm.
- Kirrily
Origin:
Aboriginal, AustralianMeaning:
"tree bark or leaf"Description:
Kirrily, which rhymes with cheerily, is a name that's uniquely popular in Australia. It originated in recent decades as an elaboration of several similar names – the European Kyra or Keira, the Maori Kiri which means tree bark, or the Aboriginal word kira which means leaf – plus the lee sound.
- Kate
Origin:
English, diminutive of KatherineMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Kate, in the headlines via Catherine Middleton aka the Princess of Wales, has been as pervasive as Kathy was in the 1950s and 1960s, both as a nickname for Katherine and Kaitlyn and as a strong, classic stand-alone name.
- Kane
Origin:
CelticMeaning:
"warrior"Description:
A name of multiple identities: a somewhat soap-operatic single-syllable surname, a homonym for the biblical bad boy Cain, and, when found in Japan and Hawaii, it transforms into the two syllable KA-neh. Kane also has multiple meanings: in Welsh, it's "beautiful"; in Japanese, "golden"; and in Hawaiian, "man of the Eastern sky."
- Knox
Origin:
ScottishMeaning:
"round hill"Description:
Knox is an old Scottish surname that Brad Pitt (whose great-great-grandfather was named Hal Knox Hillhouse) and Angelina Jolie took out of the back cupboard, dusted off, and elevated to coolness--to the point where it entered the popular baby names list in 2009. Knox now ranks among the most influential celebrity baby names.
- Killian
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"war strife or church"Description:
Killian – aka Cillian – is a spirited yet resonant Gaelic name that was borne by several Irish saints and could make a distinctive replacement for the dated Kelly. Kylian is another spelling that's gaining traction, thanks to French soccer star Kylian Mbappé. Possible downsides: an unsavory first syllable and a connection to the trendy brew.
- Koda
Origin:
Japanese, SiouxMeaning:
"friend"Description:
A word in the Yankton-Yanktonai and Santee dialects of the Lakota Sioux language, meaning "friend" or "ally", used for one of the main characters in the movie Brother Bear. Also a common Japanese surname or a respelling of the musical name Coda.
- Kinsley
Origin:
EnglishMeaning:
"king's meadow"Description:
Light and glittery, but with plenty of spirit, Kinsley has risen quickly into the US Top 100. Balanced between preppy and cutesy, it feels like a fresh alternative to Kelly, Kaitlyn, or Kimberly.
- Kiara
Origin:
English variation of Chiara, Italian, Ciara, Irish, or Aboriginal Australian, KoreanMeaning:
"light, clear; little dark one; cockatoo; first ray of sun"Description:
Kiara can be considered a variation of both the Italian name Chiara and the Irish name Ciara. Chiara is the Italian form of Clara, meaning "bright" or "clear," while Ciara is the feminine form of male given name Ciar, derived from the old Irish cíar, meaning "dark."
- Keira
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"little dark one"Description:
Keira is an attractive girls’ name that's gotten a huge boost from the meteoric rise of Keira Knightley. Original spelling Kiera, which relates more directly to the male Kieran, was the more popular form until the rise of Keira Knightley reversed the order. Both are Anglicized versions of the Irish Ciara.
- Katie
Origin:
English, diminutive of KatherineMeaning:
"pure"Description:
Friendly mega-popular short form of Katherine that has definitively replaced Kathy, Katie is often given on its own. Going forward, though, Katie is more stylishly clipped itself to the grownup Kate.
- Kairo
Origin:
Spelling variation of place-name Cairo, ArabicMeaning:
"the conqueror"Description:
Contemporary Kairo fits in with the modern trend of substituting a C for a K initial, and in this case, it works to get you more easily to the cool nickname Kai. In fact, parents in the US and the UK see it as working so well that Kairo took over from Cairo as the preferred spelling of the name back in 2018. Given to nearly 1500 babies each year, Kairo is in the US and UK Top 300.
- Keir
Origin:
IrishMeaning:
"dark, black"Description:
Keir is a single-syllable name that packs a lot of punch, might suggest -- thanks to its similarity to the word care -- a caring person. Sir Keir Rodney Starmer is a British politician and head of the Labour Party since 2020. Keir Dullea is an American actor who starred in 2001: A Space Odyssey.
- Keanu
Origin:
HawaiianMeaning:
"the coolness, or the cool breeze"Description:
An evocative name brought from Hawaii to the mainland by Keanu Reeves, who was born in Beirut to a part-Hawaiian, part-Chinese father. It moved into the Top 1000 for the first time in over a decade in 2016. Keanu ranks among