Kermit m EnglishFrom a rare (Americanized) Manx surname, a variant of the Irish surname
Mac Diarmada, itself derived from the given name
Diarmaid. This was the name of a son of Theodore Roosevelt born in 1889. He was named after a relative of his mother, Robert Kermit. The name is now associated with Kermit the Frog, a Muppet created by puppeteer Jim Henson in 1955.
Kerr m ScottishFrom a Scots surname that was derived from a word meaning
"thicket, marsh", ultimately from Old Norse
kjarr.
Kerry m & f EnglishFrom the name of the Irish county, called
Ciarraí in Irish Gaelic, which means "
Ciar's people".
Kestrel f English (Rare)From the name of the bird of prey, ultimately derived from Old French
crecelle "rattle", which refers to the sound of its cry.
Kęstutis m LithuanianFrom Lithuanian
kęsti meaning
"to cope, to endure" combined with a diminutive suffix. This was the name of a 14th-century ruler of Lithuania.
Ketil m NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Ketill meaning
"kettle, cauldron" (later also acquiring the meaning
"helmet"). In old Scandinavian rituals the
ketill was used to catch the blood of sacrificed animals.
Ketut m & f BalinesePossibly from a Balinese word meaning
"small banana". This name is traditionally given to the fourth child.
Keziah f BiblicalFrom the Hebrew name
קְצִיעָה (Qetsiʿa) meaning
"cassia, cinnamon", from the name of the spice tree. In the Old Testament she is a daughter of
Job.
Khadija f Arabic, Urdu, BengaliMeans
"premature child" in Arabic. This was the name of the Prophet
Muhammad's first wife and the mother of all of his children, with the exception of one. She was a wealthy merchant and a widow when they married in the year 595. Muhammad received his first revelation 15 years after their marriage, and she was the first person to convert to Islam.
Khafra m Ancient EgyptianFrom Egyptian
ḫꜥf-rꜥ meaning
"he appears as Ra". This was the name of the 4th-dynasty Egyptian pharaoh who built the second largest of the pyramids at Giza (26th century BC). He is also known as
Chephren, from the Greek form of his name.
Khaing f & m BurmeseMeans
"firm, strong" in Burmese, possibly of Shan origin.
Khaleesi f LiteratureFrom a title used in the George R. R. Martin book series
A Song of Ice and Fire (first published 1996) and the television adaptation
Game of Thrones (2011-2019). It is a feminine form of the Dothraki title
khal meaning "warlord". In the series
Daenerys Targaryen gains this title after she marries Khal Drogo.
Khalifa m ArabicMeans
"successor, caliph" in Arabic. The title
caliph was given to the successors of the Prophet
Muhammad, originally elected by the Islamic populace.
Khaliq m ArabicMeans
"creator" in Arabic. In Islamic tradition
الخليق (al-Khalīq) is one of the 99 names of Allah.
Khamphet m & f LaoFrom Lao
ຄຳ (kham) meaning "gold" and
ເພັດ (phet) meaning "diamond, gem".
Khan m Urdu, PashtoFrom a title meaning
"king, ruler". Its origin is probably Mongolian, though the word has been transmitted into many other languages.
Khanpasha m ChechenDerived from the Turkic title
Khan meaning "ruler, leader" combined with the high Ottoman military rank
pasha.
Khatuna f GeorgianFrom the Turkic title
khatun meaning
"lady, woman", a feminine form of
khan.
Khayra f ArabicMeans
"good deed" in Arabic, a derivative of
خير (khayr) meaning "goodness, charity".
Khayr ad-Din m ArabicMeans
"goodness of religion", from Arabic
خير (khayr) meaning "goodness, charity" combined with
دين (dīn) meaning "religion, faith". This name was borne by a 16th-century Ottoman admiral who came to rule over the region around Algiers.
Khayri m ArabicMeans
"charitable, benificent" in Arabic, a derivative of
خير (khayr) meaning "goodness, charity".
Khayyam m ArabicMeans
"tent maker" in Arabic. This was the surname of the 12th-century Persian poet Umar Khayyam.
Khloe f English (Modern)Variant of
Chloe. This particular variant was popularized by the television personality Khloé Kardashian (1984-) after she began appearing with her family on the reality show
Keeping Up with the Kardashians in 2007.
Khnum m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
ẖnmw (reconstructed as
Khenmu or
Khnemu), derived from
ẖnm meaning
"to unite". This was the name of an early Egyptian god associated with fertility, water and the Nile. He was often depicted as a man with the head of a ram, sometimes with a potter's wheel.
Khodadad m PersianMeans
"God given" from Persian
خدا (khodā) meaning "god, lord" and
داد (dād) meaning "gave".
Khonsu m Egyptian MythologyFrom Egyptian
ḫnsw meaning
"traveller", derived from
ḫns meaning "to traverse, to cross". In Egyptian mythology he was a god of the moon, the son of
Amon and
Mut.
Khordad f & m Persian MythologyModern Persian form of
Haurvatat. From the Middle Persian era, this deity was often considered masculine. The third month of the Iranian calendar is named for her.
Khufu m Ancient EgyptianShortened form of the longer Egyptian name
Khnum-Khufu. This was the name of an Egyptian pharaoh of the 4th dynasty (26th century BC), the builder of the largest of the pyramids at Giza. He used both the full and shortened versions of his name in his lifetime, and is also known to history by the Greek form of his name
Cheops.
Khulan f MongolianMeans
"onager, wild donkey" in Mongolian. This was the name of a wife of Genghis Khan.
Khushi f HindiMeans
"happiness" in Hindi, ultimately from Persian
خوشی (khūshī).
Khwaja m UrduFrom the Persian title
خواجه (khājeh) meaning
"master, owner". It is more commonly a title than a given name.
Ki f Sumerian MythologyMeans
"earth" in Sumerian. This was the name of the Sumerian goddess of the earth, the consort of
An.
Kian 1 m PersianMeans
"king, foundation, symbol of pride" in Persian.
Kiana 1 f Hawaiian, EnglishHawaiian form of
Diana. It was brought to wider attention in the late 1980s, likely by the Hawaiian fitness instructor Kiana Tom (1965-), who had a television show on ESPN beginning in 1988.
Kiara f English (Modern)Variant of
Ciara 1 or
Chiara. This name was brought to public attention in 1988 after the singing duo Kiara released their song
This Time. It was further popularized by a character in the animated movie
The Lion King II (1998).
Kichirō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
吉 (kichi) meaning "good luck" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Kielo f FinnishMeans
"lily of the valley" in Finnish (species Convallaria majalis).
Kiku f JapaneseFrom Japanese
菊 (kiku) meaning "chrysanthemum", as well as other kanji characters that are pronounced the same way.
Kim 1 f & m English, Dutch, GermanAt the present it is usually considered a short form of
Kimberly, but it in fact predates it as a given name. The author Rudyard Kipling used it for the title hero of his novel
Kim (1901), though in this case it was short for
Kimball. In her novel
Show Boat (1926) Edna Ferber used it for a female character who was born on the Mississippi River and was named from the initials of the states Kentucky, Illinois and Mississippi. The name was popularized in America by the actresses Kim Hunter (1922-2002) and Kim Novak (1933-), both of whom assumed it as a stage name.
Kimberly f EnglishFrom the name of the city of
Kimberley in South Africa, which was named after Lord
Kimberley (1826-1902). The city came to prominence in the late 19th century during the Boer War.
Kimberly has been used as a given name since the mid-20th century, eventually becoming very popular as a feminine name.
Kimiko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
貴 (ki) meaning "valuable" with
美 (mi) meaning "beautiful" or
君 (kimi) meaning "lord, noble" combined with
子 (ko) meaning "child". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kimmo m FinnishMeaning unknown. It was popularized by Eino Leino's poem
Kimmo's Revenge (1902).
Kincső f HungarianDerived from Hungarian
kincs meaning
"treasure". This name was created by Hungarian author Mór Jókai in
The Novel of the Next Century (1872).
Kineret f HebrewFrom the name of a large lake in northern Israel, usually called the Sea of Galilee in English. Its name is derived from Hebrew
כִּנּוֹר (kinnor) meaning "harp" because of its shape.
King m EnglishFrom the English vocabulary word
king, ultimately derived from Old English
cyning. This was also a surname, derived from the same source, a famous bearer being the American civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968).
Kingsley m & f English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"king's wood" in Old English. This name may have received a minor boost in popularity after the release of the 2007 movie
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, featuring the character Kingsley Shacklebolt.
Kingston m English (Modern)From an English surname that was originally derived from a place name meaning
"king's town" in Old English. This name rose significantly on the popularity charts after musicians Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale used it for their son born 2006.
K'inich m Mayan MythologyMeans
"hot, sunny" in Classic Maya, derived from
k'in "sun". K'inich Ajaw (
ajaw meaning "king, lord") was the Maya god of the sun.
K'inich was commonly used as an element in the names of Maya royalty.
Kinsey f English (Modern)From an English surname that was derived from the given name
Cynesige. This name is borne by Kinsey Millhone, the heroine in a series of mystery novels by author Sue Grafton, beginning in 1982.
Kinsley f English (Modern)From a surname that was derived from an English place name, itself meaning
"clearing belonging to Cyne". The Old English given name
Cyne is a short form of longer names beginning with
cyne meaning "royal".
... [more] Kip m EnglishFrom a nickname, probably from the English word
kipper meaning
"male salmon".
Kipling m English (Rare)From an English surname that was from a place name meaning
"Cyppel's people". The surname was borne by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936), a British novelist born in India who wrote
The Jungle Book and other works.
Kirby m & f EnglishFrom an English surname that was originally from a place name meaning
"church settlement" in Old Norse. This name briefly spiked in popularity for American girls in 1982 after the character Kirby Anders Colby was introduced to the soap opera
Dynasty.
Kiri f MaoriMeans
"skin of a tree or fruit" in Maori. This name has been brought to public attention by New Zealand opera singer Kiri Te Kanawa (1944-).
Kirk m EnglishFrom an English and Scottish surname meaning
"church" from Old Norse
kirkja, ultimately from Greek
κυριακόν (kyriakon). A famous bearer was American actor Kirk Douglas (1916-2020), whose birth name was Issur Danielovitch.
Kisecawchuck m Cree (Anglicized)From Cree
ᑮᓯᑳᐊᐧᒑᕁ (Kîsikâawcâhk) meaning
"day star", derived from
ᑮᓯᑳᐤ (kîsikâw) "day" and
ᐊᑖᕁ (atâhk) "star". This was the name of a 19th-century Plains Cree chief in Saskatchewan.
Kittum f Semitic MythologyFrom Akkadian
kīttu meaning
"truth", a derivative of
kīnu "legitimate, true". This was the name of the Akkadian goddess of truth.
Kiyo f JapaneseFrom Japanese
清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or other homophonic words. This was a popular name in the Edo period and remained common until the early 20th century, at which time it was usually spelled using katakana.
Kiyoko f JapaneseFrom Japanese
清 (kiyo) meaning "clear, pure, clean" or
聖 (kiyo) meaning "holy" and
子 (ko) meaning "child". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Kizzy f EnglishDiminutive of
Keziah. This particular spelling was repopularized in the late 1970s by a character in the book and miniseries
Roots (1977).
Kjellaug f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Ketillaug, derived from the elements
ketill meaning "kettle" and
laug possibly meaning "vowed, promised, bound in oath".
Kjellfrid f NorwegianFrom the Old Norse name
Ketilríðr, derived from the elements
ketill meaning "kettle" and
fríðr meaning "beautiful, beloved".
Klah m NavajoFrom Navajo
tł'aaí meaning
"left-handed".
Kleio f Greek Mythology, GreekDerived from Greek
κλέος (kleos) meaning
"glory". In Greek mythology she was the goddess of history and heroic poetry, one of the nine Muses. She was said to have introduced the alphabet to Greece.
Kleitos m Ancient GreekMeans
"splendid, famous" in Greek. This was the name of one of the generals of Alexander the Great. He was killed by Alexander in a dispute.
Klemens m German, PolishGerman and Polish form of
Clemens (see
Clement). Prince Klemens Metternich (1773-1859) was an Austrian chancellor who guided the Austrian Empire to victory in the Napoleonic Wars.
Kleonike f Ancient GreekDerived from Greek
κλέος (kleos) meaning "glory" and
νίκη (nike) meaning "victory". This name was used by the Greek playwright Aristophanes for a character in his comedy
Lysistrata.
Klotho f Greek MythologyMeans
"spinner" in Greek. In Greek mythology Klotho was one of the three Fates or
Μοῖραι (Moirai). She was responsible for spinning the thread of life.
Klytië f Greek MythologyDerived from Greek
κλυτός (klytos) meaning
"famous, noble". In Greek myth Klytië was an ocean nymph who loved the sun god Helios. Her love was not returned, and she pined away staring at him until she was transformed into a heliotrope flower, whose head moves to follow the sun.
Knox m EnglishFrom a Scots surname that was derived from various places named
Knock, from Gaelic
cnoc "round hill". It jumped in popularity after the actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt had a baby by this name in 2008.
Knut m Swedish, Norwegian, GermanDerived from Old Norse
knútr meaning
"knot". Knut was a Danish prince who defeated
Æðelræd II, king of England, in the early 11th century and became the ruler of Denmark, Norway and England.