The Kaye surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,627 people carried this name — #4,113 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,200 people counted. That is down 1% from 8,753 in 2000.

See Kaye on the map Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Kaye surname

A surname from Middle English, spelling variant of Kay.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Kaye» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the quay’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Jordan Kay, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Kay and Kaye.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 439 · public domain.

In Belgium’s population register

At least 89 people named Kaye live in Belgium.

Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Liège 45
Walloon Brabant 11
Hainaut 11
Namur 11
Brussels-Capital 6
Flemish Brabant 5

Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 23 people named Kaye.

Most of them — 16 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 5 départements, most often Moselle.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 16
Moselle 2
Saône-et-Loire 2
Allier 1
Paris 1
Vosges 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

33 people named Kaye is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 33

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Kaye was found among the farmers of 3 counties.

It was most frequent in Lancashire: 30 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 333. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent. His list gives one count for the spellings Kay and Kaye.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Lancashire 30
Yorkshire, West Riding 25
Durham 12

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In Scotland’s registers today

Kaye was recorded 11 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 1788th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 11. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Kaye in American newspapers,
1905–1908.

Newspaper page from The Starkville News carrying the name Kaye
The Starkville News 1905-02-24
Newspaper page from The Columbus Weekly Dispatch carrying the name Kaye
The Columbus Weekly Dispatch 1908-02-20
Newspaper page from The L'anse Sentinel carrying the name Kaye
The L'anse Sentinel 1905-10-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 641 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Kaye in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

27,015 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kaye. The most, 4,893, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 7,324
New South Wales 6,720
Victoria 6,682
Western Australia 2,389
South Australia 1,638
Tasmania 1,203
ACT (Canberra) 882
Northern Territory 9

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Kaye.

Who carried it

People named Kaye,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Annette Kaye d. 1994
  • Ida Kaye d. 1990
  • William Kaye d. 1864
  • Francis Kaye d. 1981
  • Frederick William Kaye d. 1919
  • John Kaye 1529–1594 · poet

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Kaye,
in the records of 9 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States757 records

757 records of the Kaye name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 221
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 172
  • Other U.S. records 364
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Herbert J. Kaye

    Born 1914 in New York. Enlisted 1941 at Brooklyn; salesperson from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Mount Lebanon Cemetery, Ridgewood, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Hannah Kaye

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool, aged 17; servant. From Dingle, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Mark Samuel Kaye

    Born 1944; from Studio City, California. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1968 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 757 records for Kaye in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain).

Australia811 records

811 records of the Kaye name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 384
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 180
  • Other Australian records 247
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Raymond William Kaye

    Died 1928 in Public Hospital, Launceston, Tasmania. Will registered in Tasmania in 1928.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Kaye

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Agamemnon, arriving 1820; ticket of leave 1825. Native of Liverpool.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Eliza Kaye

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the Thames, aged 19; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 811 records for Kaye in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada111 records

111 records of the Kaye name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 64
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 16
  • Other Canadian records 31
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record R.h Kaye

    Came to Ontario in 1879 aboard the Peruvian, bound for Peterboro, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Eileen Bernice Kaye

    Buried in 1992 at St. Mary's Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 60.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Anne Kaye

    Died 2000, aged 78; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 111 records for Kaye in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom35 records

35 records of the Kaye name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 30
  • Welsh wills index cards 4
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Alice Kaye

    Will proved in 1935; of Conway, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record John Brown Kaye

    Died 1916. Named in the roll of honour for the burgh and parish of Auchterarder (1920).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record D. Kaye

    Manchester Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 35 records for Kaye in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Germany28 records

28 records of the Kaye name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Kaye

    From Blankenburg. Reported taken prisoner in the Prussian casualty list of 17 April 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 408).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Karl Kaye

    From Altendorf, Holzminden. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 8 September 1915.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Richard Kaye

    From Nöschenrode, Wernigerode. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 1 June 1918.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 28 records for Kaye in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

France3 records

3 records of the Kaye name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Lucien Kaye

    Born 1906 in Paris; died 1986 in Le Kremlin-Bicêtre (Val-de-Marne).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Bruno Xavier Kaye

    Born 1971 in Saint-Rémy (Saône-et-Loire); died 1989 in Canada.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Kaye in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Netherlands3 records

3 records of the Kaye name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Catharina Kaye

    Died 1826 in Ertevelde, aged 49.

    Open Archives, Regionaal Historisch Centrum Limburg (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Dirk Kaye

    Buried in 1750 in Oldehoofsterkerk.

    Open Archives, AlleFriezen (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Kaye in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Kaye name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Brendon Kaye

    Died 1969; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Kaye in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Norway1 record

1 record of the Kaye name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Simeon Kaye

    Census of 1910: Sunny Mount, Aker; born 1850 in England.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Other spellings of this name

The same name, spelled another way.

Spellings that H. B. Guppy (England and Wales, 1890) or the Registrar-General for Ireland (births index of 1890) counted as one name together with Kaye.

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Kaye.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Kaye is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Kaye volume
Scroll to Top