Kit

From WikiName

 |female/male

ORIGIN AND HISTORY

The name Kit is used as both a male and female name. It is more often a nickname, but may occasionally be given on its own.

As a boy's name, Kit may be a nickname for Christopher. Usage of this nickname pre-dates the common nickname Chris, and was used as early as the Middle Ages.^[1]

As a girl's name, Kit may be a nickname for Katherine.^[1] It may also be nickname for Christina, and therefore have the same origin and meaning, "Christian" as the boy's source name Christopher.^[1]

POPULARITY

Kit is often used as a nickname. As a standalone name, it had a brief appearance in the top 1000 most popular names for baby boys in the mid-20th century. Though the name Kit had appeared on the chart a few times before, it began to appear regularly in 1943, keeping to the lower ranks of the top 1000. It grew to be the 788th most popular name in 1955. Kit has not appeared on the top 1000 chart in the United States since 1958.^[1]

The name Kit has been a bit more popular in Australia. In 1998, Kit was the 526th most popular boy's name in Australia.^[1]

Usage as a nickname is difficult to track. The two names from which Kit usually derives, Christopher and Katherine, have been widely used. Kit was most often a male nickname before the 20th century, when female usage became more prominent.

FACTS

• "Kit" is a term for the young offpring of the following animals:
  • badger
  • beaver
  • ferret
  • fox
  • rabbit
  • skunk
  • squirrel
  • weasel^[1]
• According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a kit is a "a collection of articles usually for personal use" or "a set of tools or implements." This word comes from Middle English and was used as early as the 14th century.^[1]
• "The whole kit and kaboodle" is a slang phrase that means "everything" or "the whole package." Variations of this phrase have been used for centuries, but it has been prominently used in its current form since the very early 20th century. "Kit" probably refers to equipment, such as military equipment. "Kaboodle" may be related to words that meant "money" or "bunch."^[1]
• The Caribbean island of St. Kitts was named by Christopher Columbus. He combined his own nickname and the name of Saint Christopher, the patron saint of travelers.^[1]
• Jodie Foster's son Christopher, born in 2001, goes by the nickname Kit.^[1]

NAMESAKES

• Kit Kittredge: An American Girl : 2008 film
• KIT: Kids Included Together
• Kit 'N' Kaboodle: cat food
• A Kit Fox is an endangered carnivore that lives in the Western United States. The "kit" in its name is said to be a shortened form of "kitten."^[1]

FAMOUS PERSONS

• Kit Bond: U.S. Politician (born March 6, 1939)
• Kit Carson: frontiersman (born December 24, 1809)
• Kit Chan: singer (born September 15, 1972)
• Kit Cope: professional kickboxer (born March 17, 1977)
• Kit Lambert: music producer (born May 11, 1935)
• Kit McKenna: baseball player
• Kit Rae: collectibles designer (born 1966)
• Kit Pearson: author (born April 30, 1947)
• Kit Pedler: author (born 1927)
• Kit Pellow: baseball player (born August 28, 1973)
• Kit Watkins: musician (born 1953)
• Kit Whitfield: author

Author: Sarena Ulibarri

NOTES