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The short answer
King is a masculine name used in English. Behind the Name describes it this way: "From 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." It ranked #405 for boys in the United States in 2025.
Meaning and etymology
According to Behind the Name, from 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. The entry lists its usage as English.
Editorial confidence: likely
Popularity
King ranked #405 for boys in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #405 | ssa-2025 |
If you like this name
Names that Behind the Name files under the same origin (English) and that sit near King in the 2025 American rankings.
Similar by origin
Frequently asked questions
What does the name King mean?
Behind the Name does not give King a one-word meaning. It describes the name as follows: from the English vocabulary word king, ultimately.
Is King a popular name?
King ranked #405 for boys in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is King a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data King appears in the boys' list; Behind the Name labels it masculine.
Sources
- Behind the Name: Meaning, origin and history of the name King — supports meaning, usage, pronunciation, variants.
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity.
