King
/ˈkɪŋ/
King derives from the Old English cyning, meaning “ruler” or “monarch.” As a surname, it dates to the medieval period and could indicate someone who worked in a royal household, won a local “king” competition, or bore a regal manner.
The surname-to-first-name shift represents a modern American trend of using aspirational vocabulary words as given names.
The most significant cultural association is with Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968), the civil rights leader whose surname carried profound symbolic weight.
What the name King means
While King was his family surname (inherited from his father, Martin Luther King Sr.), the name’s use as a first name in the African American community draws partly from this legacy.
King peaked at No. 147 in 2017 with 2,694 births, making it one of the highest-charting “title” names in SSA history.
By 2024, it had declined to No. 342 with 1,001 births, a significant drop that suggests the name’s peak popularity cycle may be concluding.
King belongs to a category of “power names” that gained traction in the 2010s, alongside Legend, Royal, Reign, and Messiah. These names reflect a naming philosophy that prioritizes symbolic meaning over traditional heritage.
The name is used almost exclusively for boys in the United States. It has minimal precedent as a first name before the 2000s, though it appeared occasionally in African American naming traditions throughout the 20th century.
Other notable bearers of the surname include horror novelist Stephen King and blues musician B.B. King (born Riley B. King). As a given name, King’s single syllable and hard k sound give it an assertive, commanding phonetic profile.
US popularity over time
Numerology and symbolism
Based on Pythagorean numerology — a traditional system linking name letters to numbers. Presented for cultural interest.
Famous people named King
King - similar names
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