girl's name
Kinsley
KINZ-lee
- Origin English
- Gender Girl
- Syllables 2
- Letters 7
- Popularity Top 100 (US)
- Births on record 54,245
the United States
#93
2025 births
Kinsley is a girl's name of English origin meaning "king's meadow," from the Old English cyning, king, and leah, a clearing. It began as a place name and surname, and its use as a first name is recent and American.
- Kinsley is a name of English origin.
- Peaked in 2017, when 4,066 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,236 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1978.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Kinsley over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1970s 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 |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 8 |
| 1980s | 138 |
| 1990s | 444 |
| 2000s | 3,006 |
| 2010s | 26,390 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 20,257 |
What Kinsley means
Kinsley means the king's clearing or king's meadow, describing land held by or associated with a king. Like most -ley names it is topographic, naming the place a family came from.
Where Kinsley comes from
Kinsley combines the Old English cyning, meaning king, with leah, a woodland clearing — the same second element behind Ashley, Bradley and Wesley. Villages named Kinsley exist in Yorkshire, and the surname derives from them. The first element makes it one of a small group of English place names recording royal landholding, alongside Kingston and Kingsley. Its move to a girls' given name is entirely modern and American, following the broader pattern of -ley surnames becoming feminine first names, and United States birth records show it rising sharply through the 2010s.
How popular is Kinsley?
In 2025, Kinsley was given to 2,683 babies in the United States, ranking #93 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Where Kinsley 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 Kinsley
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Kinsley also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Kinsley over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
Kinsley 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 Kinsley
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Kinsley — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Kinsley
What does the name Kinsley mean?
Kinsley means "king's meadow," from the Old English cyning and leah.
Is Kinsley the same as Kingsley?
They share the same elements and origin; Kinsley is the form now generally used for girls.
Was Kinsley originally a surname?
Yes, from villages of that name in Yorkshire.
How popular is the name Kinsley?
In 2025, Kinsley was given to 2,683 babies in the United States, ranking #93 that year. It is one of the most popular names in the United States.
Is Kinsley a girl's or a boy's name?
Kinsley is given almost entirely to girls in birth records.
How many syllables are in Kinsley?
Kinsley has 2 syllables.
Is Kinsley a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Kinsley currently ranks #93 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.