Kit is an androgynous given name of English origin, derived from the Middle English word 'kit', meaning 'cheerful'. It was historically used as both a male and female name in England during the Middle Ages. Today, Kit is more commonly associated with males, but it can still be used for females. The name gained significant popularity due to its use by famous individuals such as British actress and singer Kit Harington, best known for his role as Jon Snow in Game of Thrones.
The name Kit experienced significant fluctuations in popularity over the past century, with a notable surge beginning around the mid-1940s and peaking in recent years. After an initial period of sporadic usage (5 to 8 births annually between 1925 and 1938), Kit started gaining traction with 10 births recorded in 1940. This marked a turning point, as the number of annual births continued to rise throughout the following decades.
The most notable peak occurred in 2022, with an impressive total of 166 births - by far the highest figure recorded in this dataset. However, even prior to this recent spike, Kit had already become more common by the late 1940s and early 1950s, with annual birth counts consistently reaching double digits (25 or higher) from 1944 onwards.
There were periods of decline interspersed throughout these trends. After a steady increase in popularity during the 1950s and 1960s, the number of births named Kit decreased slightly by the late 1970s (with annual counts ranging from 5 to 15). This downward trend continued into the early 1980s, but it was relatively short-lived.
By the mid-1980s, Kit's popularity began to recover and grew steadily throughout the remainder of the century. The late 1990s saw a slight dip (with annual counts ranging from 5 to 7), but this did not deter parents from choosing Kit for their newborn daughters in subsequent years.
Since the turn of the millennium, Kit has experienced renewed popularity, with birth counts consistently rising above 10 since 2004. The most recent data available shows a continued upward trend, with Kit reaching its peak popularity in 2022 and remaining one of the most popular names even into 2023.
In total, over the course of nearly a century (1925-2023), there have been 1,917 births recorded under the name Kit. This demonstrates that while its popularity has ebbed and flowed over time, Kit has ultimately proven itself to be a enduring and widely-used choice for parents.