Kaia
Girl name · #193 in 2025 · Well-known
Kaia is currently the #193 girl name in the United States — 1,618 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #447, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 1,112 girls born in 2025 was named Kaia.
The 70-year story
Kaia first appears in the Social Security records in 1955, when 5 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 1,680 babies and a rank of #180. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Babies named Kaia per year. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kaia against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kaia in class?
On our rarity read — which blends how common Kaia is today with its five-year momentum — the name reads as "well-known". A low score means broad familiarity: teachers will spell it right, and your child may share it with a classmate. For many families that's a feature, not a bug.
Where Kaia is most common
Geography matters for names, and Kaia is no exception. Adjusted for how many girls are born in each state, Kaia is most common in HI (14 per 1,000), WA (2.5 per 1,000), CA (2.2 per 1,000), NV (2 per 1,000), OR (1.8 per 1,000) — against a national average of about 1.2 per 1,000 girls. These are per-capita rates, so they show where Kaia is a genuine regional favorite rather than just where the most babies are born.
Names like Kaia
Statistically, parents drawn to Kaia tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Alaia, Lia, Maia, Amaia, and Dahlia.
AlaiaLiaMaiaAmaiaDahliaLeiaMylaZara
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kaia | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1,618 | #193 |
| 2024 | 1,680 | #180 |
| 2023 | 1,613 | #186 |
| 2022 | 1,335 | #225 |
| 2021 | 1,304 | #231 |
| 2020 | 1,076 | #300 |
| 2019 | 1,015 | #315 |
| 2018 | 1,066 | #312 |
| 2017 | 993 | #330 |
| 2016 | 886 | #368 |
| 2015 | 708 | #447 |
| 2014 | 567 | #545 |
| 2013 | 466 | #603 |
| 2012 | 522 | #563 |
| 2011 | 480 | #597 |
| 2010 | 536 | #547 |
| 2009 | 509 | #592 |
| 2008 | 462 | #665 |
| 2007 | 466 | #638 |
| 2006 | 408 | #695 |
| 2005 | 401 | #690 |
| 2004 | 385 | #698 |
| 2003 | 434 | #619 |
| 2002 | 444 | #582 |
| 2001 | 257 | #891 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kaia a popular girl name?
Kaia ranked #193 among girls in 2025 with 1,618 babies given the name — inside the top 500: established but not ubiquitous. Ten years earlier it ranked #447.
When was the name Kaia most popular?
Kaia peaked in 2024, when 1,680 American girls received the name (ranked #180 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Kaia?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 1,112 newborn American girls was named Kaia. On our rarity scale (rarity blended with momentum) we classify it as "well-known".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.