Masterpiece Generator Name Generator
How popular is the name Kay?
Births per year, rank history and how many Kays are alive today.
Kay (female) is a shortened form of the name Katherine. Although Kay itself was given to 3 babies in England and Wales in 2025 (ranked 5927th as a registered name), most Kays are registered as Katherine, which ranked 872nd in 2025 with 40 babies.
Most people called Kay are registered as Katherine, and share that name's profile: the Katherine you are most likely to meet is around 62 years old - or else around 29: the name has two living generations. Half of all Katherines born in England and Wales are between 35 and 67, and there are at least 130,000 of them alive today. Only some Katherines go by Kay.
How many babies are named Kay or Katherine each year?
Combined registrations of Katherine, Catherine, Katharine, Kathryn, Kay. Figures before 1996 are estimates.
Where does Katherine rank as a registered name?
Where does Kay rank as a registered name?
Where this data comes from
Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.
One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.
Common questions
Is Kay short for Katherine?
Yes - Kay is a shortened form of Katherine. Kays are usually registered as Katherine at birth.
When was the name Kay most popular?
The full name Katherine peaked in 1964, when around 3,800 babies in England and Wales were given the name. Kay itself peaked as a registered name in 1964, with 472 babies.
How many people are called Kay?
There's no official count of people who go by Kay, because it's a nickname rather than a registered name. What we can say: at least 130,000 people registered as Katherine born in England and Wales are alive today, and some of them go by Kay.
How old is the typical Kay?
Most people called Kay are registered as Katherine. Most living Katherines are between 35 and 67; the most common age is about 62. There is a second cluster around 29.
Is Kay becoming more or less popular?
Declining: recent figures are a fraction of the 1964 peak.