Let’s look at Kansas baby names!
Kansas isn’t just the American Midwest. It’s pretty much the center of the entire nation, bordered by Colorado, Oklahoma, and Missouri. It’s nicknamed America’s Heartland, and that tracks.
For millennia, the Caddoan Wichita and Siouan Kaw people inhabited the region. They hunted large herds of bison. Like so many states, the name Kansas is based on an indigenous term. More on that in a minute.
Spanish explorers became the first Europeans to enter the area in the 16th century. Trade and exploration continued while the region was part of Spanish Louisiana. In 1803, the Louisiana Purchase brought most of the area under US control, but it wasn’t until the Mexican-American War that the entire territory became part of the US.
In 1827, the military established Fort Leavenworth. It marked the first permanent settlement of white Americans in the future state of Kansas. By this time, the Santa Fe trail brought covered wagons through the state, as well as significant trade. In 1861, Kansas officially became the 34th state.
In terms of population, Kansas is relatively small, ranking 34th of 50. By size, however, the state is 15th out of 50.
About 75% of Kansans identify as white, non-Hispanic. Around 13% refer to themselves as Latino or Hispanic. African American or black Kansans represent about 6% of the state, with small Asian and Native populations. This relative lack of diversity is reflected in the most popular names.
KANSAS AS A BABY NAME
The state’s name comes from an Algonquian term: Akansa, which refers to a particular group settled in Arkansas. They’re related to the Kaw people, also called the Kansa. In American English, the states of Arkansas and Kansas aren’t pronounced the same, but they do have shared roots.
It’s generally said that Kansas means “people of the South wind.” Strictly speaking, the state is named for the river, which comes from the tribal name.
Formed in Topeka in 1973, the band Kansas scored some major hits. “Carry On, My Wayward Son” from 1976 and “Dust in the Wind” from 1978 remain their best-known singles.
In cinematic masterpiece The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy Gale famously tells her dog, “Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.” The line has filtered into pop culture.
But is Kansas ever used as a given name?
More often than you might guess.
It debuted in the US data for girls way back in 1898, with five births. In 1993, it debuted in the boys’ data when seven newborns received the name. As of 2025, 15 girls and five boys were named Kansas.
TOP TEN BOY NAMES IN KANSAS
10. BENNETT (#40)
Benjamin is a Top Ten name for much of the US, but in Kansas? It’s Bennett on top.
9. ELIJAH (#7 in the US)
Popular across the US, according to data from the federal Social Security Administration, or SSA.
8. WILLIAM (#9 in the US)
An enduring classic.
7. HUDSON (#17 in the US)
As with other states with small Spanish-speaking populations, Hudson tends to rise into the Top Ten, replacing romance language picks like Mateo.
6. JAMES (#6 in the US)
A traditional favorite, James is a Top Ten pick across much of the US.
5. HENRY (#5 in the US)
Everything that applies to James is also true for Henry.
4. LIAM (#1 in the US)
We think of Liam as Irish, and it undeniably is. But it’s also very popular with Spanish-speaking Americans. In states with smaller Latino populations, Liam tends to fall a few spots, as is true in Kansas.
3. NOAH (#2 in the US)
An Old Testament favorite slightly less common here.
2. OLIVER (#3 in the US)
Liam and Noah’s fall pushes the #3 name to the #2 spot for popular boy names in Kansas.
1. THEODORE (#4 in the US)
As with Oliver, Theodore rises in Kansas.
TOP 100 KANSAS BOY NAMES
- Theodore
- Oliver
- Noah
- Liam
- Henry
- James
- Hudson
- William
- Elijah
- Bennett
- Mateo
- Cooper
- Brooks
- Jack
- Elias
- Benjamin
- Leo
- Waylon
- Luca
- Ezra
- John
- Asher
- Carter
- Samuel
- Wyatt
- Levi
- Daniel
- Michael
- Thomas
- Charles
- Beau
- Matthew
- Sebastian
- Luke
- Maverick
- Lincoln
- Everett
- Grayson
- Jackson
- Miles
- Lucas
- Atlas
- Santiago
- Weston
- Walker
- Rowan
- Wesley
- Julian
- Silas
- Gabriel
- Mason
- Roman
- Owen
- David
- Alexander
- Ethan
- Graham*
- Joseph
- Easton*
- Beckett*
- Logan
- August
- Ezekiel
- Hayes*
- Stetson*
- Axel
- Arthur
- Luka
- Angel
- Archer
- Emiliano
- Dean*
- Nolan
- Baker*
- Christopher
- Colter*
- Isaiah
- Parker*
- River*
- Eli
- Josiah
- Anthony
- Callum*
- Calvin*
- Emmett*
- Isaac
- Jasper*
- Jett*
- Jonathan
- Rhett*
- Thiago
- Caleb
- George*
- Robert
- Dylan
- Hunter
- Jameson*
- Jonah*
- Jude*
- Xavier*
* indicates the name does not rank in the current US Top 100
TOP TEN GIRL NAMES IN KANSAS
10. MIA (#6 in the US)
It’s subtle, but Mia often appeals to Spanish-speaking Americans. It ranks #5 on Baby Center’s Spanish-language site. So in Kansas, like in many states with small Spanish-speaking populations, Mia falls back a bit.
9. LAINEY (#30 in the US)
Fast-rising Lainey is a break-out star of country music thanks to singer Lainey Wilson, with a big boost from her appearance on Yellowstone. No surprise that Kansans embrace this name.
8. HARPER (#16 in the US)
A popular baby name for years, literary Harper has exited the US Top 1000, but remains a favorite, along with other H surname names for girls like Hadley, Hailey, and Harlow.
7. EMMA (#3 in the US)
A long-time #1 name for girls in the US, Emma is slightly less familiar in the state.
6. SOPHIA (#5 in the US)
Popular nearly everywhere. Worth noting: while in many states, Sophia is only slightly more popular than Sofia, the lack of a large Spanish-speaking population keeps the PH spelling on top.
5. ELEANOR (#12 in the US)
Another hallmark of a limited Spanish-speaking/bilingual community in Kansas? Names like Eleanor rise to the top.
4. AMELIA (#4 in the US)
Vintage Amelia is widely popular, but given famed aviator and Kansas native Amelia Earhart, this name’s success makes even more sense.
3. EVELYN (#8 in the US)
Another choice for girls out-performing in the state.
2. OLIVIA (#1 in the US)
Chart-topping Olivia and Charlotte swap positions here.
1. CHARLOTTE (#2 in the US)
As Olivia dips to the second place, Charlotte gets a tiny boost to the very top spot.
TOP 100 KANSAS GIRL NAMES
- Charlotte
- Olivia
- Evelyn
- Amelia
- Eleanor
- Sophia
- Emma
- Harper
- Lainey
- Mia
- Hazel
- Violet
- Elizabeth
- Lucy
- Penelope
- Ellie
- Willow
- Aurora
- Isabella
- Nora
- Lily
- Eliana
- Isla
- Chloe
- Eloise
- Sadie
- Emily
- Scarlett
- Grace
- Ava
- Josephine
- Stella
- Ailany
- Iris
- Layla
- Gianna
- Luna
- Clara
- Josie
- Naomi
- Millie
- Sofia
- Vivian
- Abigail
- Avery
- Lydia
- Paisley
- Ella
- Emery
- Delilah
- Hadley
- Mila
- Scottie
- Camila
- Ivy
- Riley
- Wrenley
- Aria
- Hallie
- Hannah
- Nova
- Ruby
- Lillian
- Maeve
- Adeline
- Margaret
- Claire
- Emersyn
- Juniper
- Kinsley
- Madison
- Sophie
- Anna
- Elsie
- Ember
- Zoey
- Blakely
- Madelyn
- Zoe
- Leah
- Valentina
- Eden
- Genevieve
- Madeline
- Margot
- Sloane
- Sutton
- Victoria
- Athena
- Collins
- Elena
- Leilani
- Lyla
- Mary
- Oakley
- Emerson
- Everly
- Georgia
- Quinn
- Daisy
* indicates the name does not rank in the current US Top 100
DISTINCTIVE KANSAS PLACE NAMES
ABILENE
Abilene, Texas was named for Abilene, Kansas. In turn, the first Abilene was borrowed from a Biblical place name.
ATCHISON
Does Atchison work as a given name? Maybe, especially with unisex names like Addison at the peak of 21st century trends. It’s a surname form of Adam. How so? Add the popular -kin diminutive ending to the first syllable of Adam: Adkin. That leads to Adkins, Atkins, and Atkinson. A slight shift in pronunciation and we’ve arrived at Atchison. It’s not terribly name-like, but it might be one of those great middle spot Kansas baby names.
HAYS
Spelling Hayes is far more common, but Hays, Kansas was a frontier town named for Fort Hays, which now operates as a historic site.
LAWRENCE
Home to the University of Kansas, Lawrence was named for an activist from Massachussets. Amos A. Lawrence made his fortune, and then spent it, furthering the cause of abolition in the US before the Civil War. It’s early history is deeply tied to the Bleeding Kansas era, when the debate over slavery led to violent confrontations.
PRAIRIE
Once much of the US was covered by prairie. Kansas is home to the last significant stretch, now preserved as Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. If Meadow is a popular name, why not Prairie, too?
WICHITA
This one is just plain fun to say. Still, the city takes its name from the indigenous people, so it’s probably off-limits as a given name. One exception? If you’re trying to survive a zombie apocalypse and join a crew where everyone is know by a city name, well then … Emma Stone wore Wichita well in 2009’s Zombieland and the 2019 sequel.
WINFIELD
Fort Scott National Historic Site was named for General Winfield Scott, of the Mexican-American War. As a place name, Scott might feel a tiny bit overused. But Winfield feels nicely distinctive.
NAMES FROM KANSAS HISTORY & SYMBOLS
BEA, BEE, HONEY
The honeybee is the state insect, making names like Bea a nod to the state’s heritage.
DOROTHY
Perhaps the most famous resident of Kansas is fictional Dorothy Gale. She went over the rainbow in The Wizard of Oz. Other possible names to ponder: Ruby, Leo, maybe even Elphaba.
GALENA
Borrowed from the state mineral. Also suspciously close to Galinda, speaking of all things Wizard of Oz.
LARK, MEADOW
Borrowed from the state bird, the western meadowlark.
NICODEMUS
The Nicodemus National Historical Site preserves the only remaining western town founded by African Americans during the post-Civil War Reconstruction. The site takes its name from a legendary figure from Henry Clay Work’s poem “Wake, Nicodemus.” Written in 1864, it’s story of a man who died enslaved, asking to be awoken on the Day of Jubilee.
PLUM
Inspired by the state fruit, the sandhill plum.
RANGER
Maybe a stretch, but when “Home On the Range” is the state song, this has potential.
SOL, SOLANA, SOLEIL, SONNY, SUN
Kansas is the Sunflower State, and the wild native sunflower is the state flower. Scientific name helianthus might inspire even more sun-centric choices. Elio, perhaps?
STELLA
The state’s motto is surprising. It’s Ad astra per aspera, Latin for To the stars through difficulties. It was chosen during the extended, punishing Bleeding Kansas era that ultimately led to the US Civil War. Kansas ultimately became a free state, with 34 stars on the official flag nodding to the 34th state. And yes, it was admitted as a free state.
FAMOUS KANSANS
AMELIA
The Atchison, Kansas native was born in 1897, and took her first flying lesson 23 years later. In 1932, Earhart became the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. She became a household name almost immediately, and continued flying until she vanished during an attempted flight around the world in 1937.
ANNETTE
Inspired by Topeka-born actress Annette Bening.
CLYDE
Another one about flight: early aviation pioneer Clyde Cessna designed airplanes in the early 20th century, ultimately founding a company in Wichita.
ELVIRA
Her real name is Cassandra Peterson, but most everyone knows her Elvira, Mistress of the Dark, a legendary pop culture figure and B-movie staple. She was born in Manhattan, Kansas.
GEORGE
True, there are too many famous men named George to tie this name to any state. But George Washington Carver, of Fort Scott and Olathe, seems worth a mention. His contributions to agriculture helped improve farming. He was also an early environmentalist. Born into slavery, living at a moment when even basic education for African-Americans could be a struggle, his achievements are even more staggering. Fun story: there were two George Carvers in his town. He chose the middle initial W. to ease the confusion. A reporter once asked if the W. stood for Washington and Carver went along with it. In his real life, Carver only used the initial.
HATTIE
The first black actor to win as Oscar, Hattie McDaniel appeared in Gone With the Wind.
IKE
Maybe it’s Dwight that belongs on this list, but military commander turned 34th president of the United States, Dwight D. Eisenhower was long known by the nickname Ike. He served as the Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II, and, as president, signed the Civil Right Act of 1957.
JANELLE
Actress and singer Janelle Monáe was born in Kansas City in 1985.
KEATON
Borrowed from Kansas native Joseph “Buster” Keaton, an early silent film star.
LANGSTON
Known for his jazz poetry, Lawrence native Langston Hughes would become a central figure in the Harlem Renaissance.
MELISSA
Because the name Melissa means bee, it fits with the state symbol. But it also nods to singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge, born in Leavenworth in 1951.
PHOG
Perhaps Forrest would be the more mainstream name, but Forrest “Phog” Allen became the Father of Basketball Coaching, leading the Kansas Jayhawks for 39 seasons, including three national titles. The Phog Allen Fieldhouse at the University of Kansas is named in his honor.
SUSANNA
Inspired by Susanna Salter. In 1887, her name was added to the ballot for a mayoral race in Argonia, Kansas, as a joke. To the shock of many, Salter won – by a large margin. She served for a year, becoming the very first woman in the US elected to the office of mayor.
