Potential Character Surnames

The biblical character Kenan was a great-grandson of Adam and a direct ancestor of Noah. As in Christianity, Kenan is honored in Islam.

While Kendall originally started as a boys’ name, and remained more or equally popular for boys until the early 1990s in the US, it now feels almost synonymous with Kendall Jenner, of Kardashian fame.

Kent is a no-nonsense, brief, brisk one-syllable name, almost as curt as Kurt.

Keon, a mashup of Kevin and Leon, has been in the Top 900 for a decade and a half, following in the wake of female cousin Kiana.

This German spelling of the classic Irish Cillian is heard throughout Europe — it's a popular choice in France as well.

Kingsley is a sophisticated Harry Potter name that entered the US Top 1000 in 2013.

Like Ashley before it, on-trend Kinsley has been followed by a range of spelling variants. Derived from an Old English place name, Kinsleigh is a modern American choice, meaning “the king’s meadow” or “the clearing belonging to royalty.” Kinsley is in the US top 100 names and Kinslee the top 1000, but Kinsleigh sits just outside with about 200 baby girls receiving the name each year.

Light and glittery, but with plenty of spirit, Kinsley has risen quickly into the US Top 100. Balanced between preppy and cutesy, it feels like a fresh alternative to Kelly, Kaitlyn, or Kimberly.

Kiyomi is a Japanese name that means 'sacred and beautiful' or 'clean and beautiful.' It refers to a variety of citrus fruit and is gaining popularity for baby girls in the U.S., with just under 200 girls receiving the name in 2022. Kiyomi combines a meaningful and elegant definition with a unique cultural reference, making it a distinctive choice for parents.

Knight (as opposed to Night) is a name clad in shiny armor. This high-ranking word name was introduced by singers Kelis and Nas. Knight might join brothers King, Royal, and Noble in a new definition of royal baby names.

Just one more name to fall victim to the K trend. This version of the name has appeared in the US Top 1000 since the mid-1980s, having peaked at Number 359 in 2001. It is now steadily declining year after year.

Collins is a surname name that has made the girls' Top 300 thanks to its use for the daughter of the real-life Blind Side heroine. This derivation of the Greek Nicholas—which means "people of victory"—or the Irish and Scottish Colin—which may itself be a Nicholas derivation or an Anglicization of the word for pup—has a stylish feel made more so by that final s.

Colson was made familiar by author Colson Whitehead, who helped popularize the K variation as well. Both Colson and Kolson rapidly ascended the charts in 2017, the year following the release of Whitehead's celebrated book The Underground Railroad.

Depending on how you look at it, a variation of the word name Colt or an abbreviated form of Kolton.

Stick with the original—the K and E substitutions are not doing this name any favors.

This spelling of the popular surname ranks just inside the Top 1000.

Corbin joined the US Top 1000 during the latter half of the 20th century, first introduced to parents through actor Corbin Bernsen. It reached a peak in 2014 at number 203 and has been making a steady decline ever since.

Although Krishna is popular in India, only this diminutive variation made the US Top 1000 in 2013.