Kyle

See also: kyle and kýle

English

Etymology

From several places in Scotland and Northern Ireland, derived from Gaelic caol (“narrows”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kaɪl/, /ˈkaɪ.əl/
• Rhymes: -aɪl, -aɪəl
• Homophones: chyle, kile, kyle

Proper noun

Kyle (countable and uncountable, plural Kyles)

1. (countable) A habitational surname from Scottish Gaelic.
2. (countable) A unisex given name.
   1. A male given name transferred from the surname.
      • 2005, Joyce Carol Oates, Missing Mom, Ecco, →ISBN, page 110:

        Wally Szalla was the least discomforting of men, nothing like the pushy arrogant guys I was always meeting, or who were always meeting me. Guys with names like Dale, Brock, Kevin, Kyle. Guys with names nothing like Wally.

      • 2025 July 27, “California governor candidate calls Auschwitz 'solution for homelessness,' sparks critisism”, in The Jerusalem Post‎^[1], archived from the original on 20 February 2026:

        The Auschwitz Memorial Museum slammed Kyle Langford, Republican candidate for Governor of California, after his antisemitic remarks, calling out his actions as a “profound moral failure.”

   2. (uncommon) A female given name transferred from the surname.
3. A placename
   1. A town in Saskatchewan, Canada.
   2. A census-designated place in South Dakota, United States.
   3. A city in Texas, United States.

Derived terms

• Kyle of Sutherland
• Kyle Bay

Related terms

• Kyle of Durness
• Kyle of Lochalsh

See also

• Kayll
• Kylie

Anagrams

• Lyke, lyke, yelk

Cebuano

Etymology

From English Kyle, from Scottish Gaelic caol, from Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”).

Proper noun

Kyle

1. a male given name from English [in turn from Scottish Gaelic]

Quotations

For quotations using this term, see Citations:Kyle.