Kaia
Girl name · #193 in 2025 · Uniqueness 32/100
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, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kaia against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kaia in class?
Kaia scores 32 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "popular" band. 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. In 2025 the states with the most Kaias were CA (359), FL (133), NY (133), TX (99), WA (72). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
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. It scores 32/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "popular".
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.