boy's name
Kane
KAYN
- Origin Irish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 1
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 29,903
the United States
#451
2025 births
Kane is a boy's name of Irish origin meaning "battle", from Ó Catháin. It is separately a Japanese word for gold or metal and a Welsh name meaning beautiful, and the three have no connection beyond the spelling.
- Kane is a name of Irish origin.
- Peaked in 2018, when 1,055 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,770 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1953.
- 1 syllable, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kane over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 90 |
| 1960s | 165 |
| 1970s | 471 |
| 1980s | 748 |
| 1990s | 2,263 |
| 2000s | 3,674 |
| 2010s | 7,042 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 5,104 |
What Kane means
Kane means battle through the Irish cath, the root of Ó Catháin. The Japanese kane means gold or metal, and the Welsh cain means fair or beautiful — three languages, one spelling, no shared history.
Where Kane comes from
Kane anglicizes the Irish Ó Catháin, descendant of Cathán, a diminutive of cath, battle — a common element in Irish names including Cathal and Cahir. The O'Kanes were a powerful family in what is now County Derry. Separately, the Japanese kane means gold, metal or money and appears in Japanese names and surnames; and the Welsh Cain, from cain, fair or beautiful, is a third line. In English the name also carries the biblical Cain, from an unrelated Hebrew root, which is why some families avoid it. It appears in our records from 1953.
Kane in use
Kane charts in five of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2018.
How popular is Kane?
In 2025, Kane was given to 695 babies in the United States, ranking #451 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Kane is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Kane
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kane also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kane over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kane in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Kane
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kane — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kane
What does the name Kane mean?
Battle, from the Irish Ó Catháin. Separately it is Japanese for gold and Welsh for fair.
Is Kane the same as Cain?
No. The biblical Cain is Hebrew and unrelated, though the spellings converge in English.
Is Kane an Irish name?
Yes. Ó Catháin was the name of a powerful family in County Derry.
How popular is the name Kane?
In 2025, Kane was given to 695 babies in the United States, ranking #451 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Kane a girl's or a boy's name?
Kane is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kane?
Kane has 1 syllable.
When was Kane most popular?
Kane peaked in 2018, when 1,055 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
Is Kane a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kane currently ranks #326 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.