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".
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.
Kevin m English, Irish, French (Modern), Spanish (Modern), German (Modern), Dutch (Modern), Swedish (Modern), Norwegian (Modern), Danish (Modern)Anglicized form of the Irish name
Caoimhín meaning
"beloved birth", derived from Old Irish
Cóemgein, composed of
cóem "dear, beloved, gentle" and
gein "birth". Saint Caoimhín established a monastery in Glendalough, Ireland in the 6th century and is the patron saint of Dublin. It became popular in the English-speaking world outside of Ireland in the middle of the 20th century, and elsewhere in Europe in the late 20th century.
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.
Khalid m Arabic, UrduMeans
"eternal", derived from Arabic
خلد (khalada) meaning "to last forever". This name was borne by a 7th-century Islamic military leader, Khalid ibn al-Walid.
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-Khaliq) 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.
Khayyam m ArabicMeans
"tent maker" in Arabic. This was the surname of the 12th-century Persian poet Omar Khayyam.
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 (khoda) meaning "god, lord" and
داد (dad) 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.
Khwaja m PersianFrom a title meaning
"master, owner" in Persian. It is not generally used as a name itself.
Kian 1 m PersianMeans
"king, foundation, symbol of pride" in Persian.
Kichirō m JapaneseFrom Japanese
吉 (kichi) meaning "good luck" and
郎 (rō) meaning "son". Other kanji combinations are also possible.
Kim 1 f & m EnglishAt 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.
Kimmo m FinnishMeaning unknown. It was popularized by Eino Leino's poem
Kimmo's Revenge (1902).
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 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 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.
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.
Kiran f & m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam, Tamil, Gujarati, Nepali, UrduDerived from Sanskrit
किरण (kirana), which can mean
"dust" or
"thread" or
"sunbeam".
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.
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.
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 was a 19th-century Austrian chancellor who guided the Austrian Empire to victory in the Napoleonic Wars.
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.
Kobe 2 m VariousFrom the name of the city in Japan. The parents of basketball player Kobe Bryant (1978-2020) chose this name after seeing Kobe beef (which is from the Japanese city) on a menu.
Koda m English (Modern)At least in part inspired by the name of a character from the animated movie
Brother Bear (2003). The moviemakers apparently took it from Lakota or Dakota
koda meaning
"friend, companion".
Koios m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from Greek
κοῖος (koios), also spelled
ποῖος (poios), a questioning word meaning approximately
"of what kind?". This was the name of a Titan god of intelligence in Greek mythology.
Kōji m JapaneseFrom Japanese
浩 (kō) meaning "prosperous",
幸 (kō) meaning "happiness, good luck" or
康 (kō) meaning "peace" combined with
司 (ji) meaning "officer, boss",
二 (ji) meaning "two" or
次 (ji) meaning "next". This name can also be formed from many other combinations of kanji characters.
Koji m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
浩司 or
浩二 or
康二 or
幸次 or
光司 (see
Kōji).
Kōki m JapaneseFrom Japanese
光 (kō) meaning "light" or
幸 (kō) meaning "happiness, good luck" combined with
希 (ki) meaning "hope" or
輝 (ki) meaning "brightness". This name can be formed from other combinations of kanji characters as well.
Koloman m German (Rare), SlovakGerman and Slovak form of
Colmán. Saint Koloman (also called Coloman or Colman) was an Irish monk who was martyred in Stockerau in Austria.
Komang m & f BalineseMeaning unknown. This name is traditionally given to the third-born child in Balinese families.
Kong m Popular CultureCreated by the filmmaker Merian C. Cooper, who apparently liked names beginning with
K. This was the name of a gigantic gorilla in the movie
King Kong (1933) as well as its numerous sequels and remakes.
Koralo m EsperantoMeans
"coral" in Esperanto, ultimately from Latin
corallium.
Korbinian m GermanDerived from Latin
corvus meaning
"raven". This was the name of an 8th-century Frankish saint who was sent by Pope Gregory II to evangelize in Bavaria. His real name may have been
Hraban.
Kordian m PolishCoined by Polish writer Juliusz Słowacki for the title character of his drama
Kordian (1833). Słowacki likely based the name on Latin
cor "heart" (genitive
cordis).
Kōsuke m JapaneseFrom Japanese
康 (kō) meaning "peace",
孝 (kō) meaning "filial piety, obedience" or
浩 (kō) meaning "prosperous" combined with
介 (suke) meaning "help, assist". This name can also be formed from other combinations of kanji characters.
Kōta m JapaneseFrom Japanese
康 (kō) meaning "peace" and
太 (ta) meaning "thick, big, great". Other kanji combinations are possible.
Kouji m JapaneseAlternate transcription of Japanese Kanji
浩司 or
浩二 or
康二 or
幸次 or
光司 (see
Kōji).
Kreios m Greek MythologyPossibly derived from either Greek
κρείων (kreion) meaning
"lord, master" or
κριός (krios) meaning
"ram, male sheep". This was the name of a Titan in Greek mythology.
Krešimir m CroatianFrom the Slavic elements
kresu "spark, light, rouse" and
miru "peace, world". This was the name of four kings of Croatia.
Krishna m Hinduism, Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, NepaliMeans
"black, dark" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a Hindu god believed to be an incarnation of the god
Vishnu. He was the youngest of King Vasudeva's eight children, six of whom were killed by King Kamsa because of a prophecy that a child of Vasudeva would kill Kamsa. Krishna however was saved and he eventually killed the king as well as performing many other great feats. In some Hindu traditions, Krishna is regarded as the supreme deity. He is usually depicted with blue skin.
Kublai m HistoryFrom the Mongolian name
Khubilai, of unknown meaning. Kublai Khan was a 13th-century grandson of
Genghis Khan (being the son of his son Tolui), and the fifth ruler of the Mongol Empire. He is also considered the first ruler of the Chinese Yuan dynasty.
Kudret m TurkishMeans
"power, might" in Turkish, ultimately from Persian.
K'uk'ulkan m Mayan MythologyMeans
"feathered serpent", from Classic Maya
k'uk' "quetzal, quetzal feather" and
kaan "serpent, snake". This was the name of a snake god in Maya mythology, roughly equivalent to the Aztec god
Quetzalcoatl. This is the Yucatec Maya form — the K'iche' name is
Q'uq'umatz (which is only partially cognate).
Kulap f & m ThaiMeans
"rose" in Thai (of Persian origin).
Kullervo m Finnish, Finnish MythologyDerived from Finnish
kulta "gold". In the Finnish epic the
Kalevala this is the name of tragic character, a young man who seeks revenge on his uncle Untamo for destroying his tribe and selling him into slavery.
Kumar m Indian, Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Gujarati, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, NepaliModern form of
Kumara.
Kumara m HinduismDerived from Sanskrit
कुमार (kumara) meaning
"boy, son". In Hindu texts this is an epithet of both the fire god
Agni and the war god
Skanda.