| King | Kingston | |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | king | king's town |
| Origin | english | english |
| Gender | Boy | Boy |
| Pronunciation | king | KING-stun |
| Syllables | 1 | 2 |
| First appeared | 1880 | 1919 |
| Peak year | 2017 (2,696) | 2021 (3,410) |
| In 2025 | 786 | 1,725 |
| Trend | Rising | Rising |
Source: US Social Security Administration.
| Decade | King | Kingston |
|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 9,057 | 15,867 |
| 2010s | 20,440 | 25,651 |
| 2000s | 1,950 | 4,528 |
| 1990s | 439 | 190 |
| 1980s | 335 | 61 |
| 1970s | 316 | 28 |
| 1960s | 454 | 7 |
| 1950s | 708 | 19 |
| 1940s | 818 | 31 |
| 1930s | 801 | 10 |
| 1920s | 998 | 9 |
| 1910s | 795 | 5 |
| 1900s | 277 | 0 |
| 1890s | 233 | 0 |
| 1880s | 229 | 0 |
The English vocabulary word 'king' (Old English 'cyning') used directly as a given name. A transferred surname/word-name rather than an etymological 'king' name from another root.
An English place name and surname meaning 'king's town' or 'king's settlement' (Old English 'cyning' + 'tun'). A place-name origin referencing a king rather than meaning 'king' outright.
Kingston is more popular than King today: about 1,725 US babies were given the name Kingston in 2025, compared with 786 named King.
King means king (english origin), while Kingston means king's town (english origin).
In US records, King first appears in 1880 and Kingston in 1919, so King has the longer recorded history.