Kit

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 16 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Kit is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Ukrainian surname11K records spelled Kit16 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, United States

  Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Polish

  Also written Кіт, Кит, Кiт, Кить, Kít

• a separate given name4.3K records spelled Kit2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom, Hong Kong

  Also written Kīt

• Danish given name3.7K records spelled Kit7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Denmark, United States, Norway, Sweden

  Languages: Danish, Norwegian, Swedish

  Also written Kít

• Khmer given name3.1K records spelled Kit2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Hong Kong, United States, Russia, Philippines

  Also written Kít

63 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Kit is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, A circular wooden vessel, made of hooped staves.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• Seguidor de Cristo

  as a name·25,000 nombres de bebé. La mejor guía para escoger el nombre adecuado

• In Akan, am'! imp. = iyiterj. a salutation to one engaged in work« or in eating, equivalent to : God speed! or I wish you a good appe- tite! - to which the reply is: mifua no, I hold it

  as a word·Dictionary of the Asante and Fante Language called Tshi (Chwee, Twi)

• English: 1 (m.) Pet form of CHRISTOPHER . 2 (f.) Pet form of KATHERINE , an altered form of Kat . Top

  as a word

• In Russian, Kit Gavrilovich. 1649.

  as a word·A Dictionary of Period Russian Names (Wickenden / Goldschmidt 1996)

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 115 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Gilbert Keith Chestertonb. 1874GBnot in their usual nameEnglish author and Christian apologist (1874–1936)
• Keith Andesb. 1920USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor (1920–2005)
• Rupert Murdochb. 1931AUnot in their usual nameAmerican businessman
• David Lynchb. 1946USnot in their usual nameAmerican filmmaker (1946–2025)
• Bobby McFerrinb. 1950USnot in their usual nameAmerican jazz vocalist and composer (born 1950)
• Chris Jerichob. 1970USnot in their usual nameAmerican-Canadian professional wrestler (born 1970)
• Keith Fergusonb. 1972USnot in their usual nameAmerican voice actor (born 1972)
• Randy Ortonb. 1980USnot in their usual nameAmerican professional wrestler (born 1980)
• Keith Andrewsb. 1980IEnot in their usual nameIrish footballer
• Liam Hemsworthb. 1990AUnot in their usual nameAustralian actor (born 1990)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 474 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Kit?

We estimate roughly 4.0 thousand people bear Kit (counting its spellings and scripts) across 8 countries in our records.

In which country does Kit have the most bearers?

Kit is most frequently recorded in Malaysia, where it is most often spelled kit.

How common is Kit compared with other names?

In Malaysia, Kit is the 594th most common given name of 325,158 given names recorded there.

Is Kit a male or female name?

Kit is recorded for both men and women. We don't publish a percentage split: a record's gender belongs to the person and is attached to every given name on that record, so names in cultures where a name string also carries a parent's or spouse's given name pick up large cross-gender counts.

What does the name Kit mean?

Recorded meaning: ,2 Pet form of }Christopher; also of OKatherine and its variants.