Kay
Kay is a man's name in Germany and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
This name's gender leans differently depending on the country — check the table below before you assume.
- Verdict
- Depends on the country
- Male / female split
- 5% male / 95% female
- Confidence
- High (64 or more weighted country observations)
- Most common in
- United States, Great Britain, Germany
- US births since 1880
- 3,844 male / 98,249 female
- Data
- nam_dict (GFDL) + US SSA
- Updated
- 2026-09-11
How to address Kay
To address Kay when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Kay," in English, "Guten Tag Kay," in German. Kay is a man's name in Germany and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Ready-made greetings in six languages
English
Dear Kay,
German
Guten Tag Kay,
French
Bonjour Kay,
Spanish
Estimado/a Kay:
Chinese
Kay您好：
Japanese
Kay様
English
Hi Kay,
German
Hi Kay,
French
Salut Kay,
Spanish
Hola Kay,
Chinese
Kay你好：
Japanese
Kayさん
This is a statistical estimate, not a statement about the gender, identity or correct form of address of any particular person.
Country breakdown
| Country | How common | Usually | Male share |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | very common | woman's name | 4% |
| Great Britain | uncommon | woman's name | 25% |
| Germany | uncommon | man's name | 98% |
| Denmark | rare | man's name | 98% |
| East Frisia | rare | man's name | 98% |
| Switzerland | rare | unisex name | 50% |
| Netherlands | rare | man's name | 75% |
United States birth data
3,844 male · 98,249 female · 102,093 births recorded
Since 1980: 4% male.
Frequently asked questions
Is Kay a male or female name?
Kay is a man's name in Germany and a woman's name in the United States and Great Britain. Which country the person is from decides the answer.
How do I address Kay in an email?
To address Kay when you do not know their gender, use the full name with no title: "Dear Kay," in English, "Guten Tag Kay," in German. Kay is a man's name in Germany and a woman's name in the United States, so the right greeting depends entirely on their country. Ask directly if you are unsure.
Is Kay a unisex name?
Kay is not a unisex name: 5% of people named Kay are men. The gender leans heavily on which country the person is from.
Related names
Sources
Gender by country: nam_dict, the c't first-names dictionary by Joerg Michael, roughly 44,000 names across 55 countries, licensed GFDL. US frequencies: United States Social Security Administration baby-name data, public domain. Method: how we classify names. Full dataset: data & licences. Data built 2026-09-11.
DearWho, "Is Kay a male or female name?", https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/kay (accessed 2026-09-11). Data: nam_dict (J. Michael, GFDL) and US SSA, built 2026-09-11.
BibTeX
@misc{dearwho_kay,
title = {Is Kay a male or female name?},
author = {{DearWho}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://dearwho.vercel.app/name/kay},
note = {Data: nam_dict (GFDL), US SSA public domain}
}