Cala
A feminine name of Scottish origin meaning "harbor" or "inlet".
Name Census estimates that about 477 living Americans carry the first name Cala. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Cala today is around 27 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cala births was 1990 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cala. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
477
~ 1 in 718,563 Americans
Peak year
1990
30 babies that year
Average age
27
years old
2024 SSA rank
#11,263
Tracked since 1950
Census
Cala in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 555 people with the first name Cala, which placed it at #19,209 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#19,209
National first-name rank
People counted
555
555 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
65.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cala
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cala is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (11.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Cala described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Cala at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.2% · 362
- Black or African American13.9% · 77
- Hispanic or Latino11.9% · 66
- Two or more races5.8% · 32
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.2% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 6
Popularity
Cala: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cala from the 1950s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 185 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1990s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cala by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cala during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cala
The name Cala has its origins in various cultures and languages around the world. It is believed to be derived from the Latin word "calamus," which means "reed" or "pen." In ancient Rome, calamus was used to refer to the reed pens used for writing.
Cala is also a place name found in several regions. In Spain, there is a town called Cala d'Or, which is located on the island of Majorca. The name means "Golden Cove" in Catalan. Additionally, Cala is a common prefix in Italian place names, often referring to small bays or coves along the coastline.
The name Cala has been recorded throughout history, although it was not as widely used as some other names. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the writings of the Roman poet Ovid, who lived from 43 BC to 17 AD. In his work "Metamorphoses," he mentions a character named Cala.
In medieval times, there are records of a few individuals bearing the name Cala. One notable example is Cala de' Monaldi, an Italian noblewoman who lived in the 13th century and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
During the Renaissance period, the name gained some popularity, particularly in Italy. One of the most famous individuals with this name was Cala Maria Sforza, an Italian Renaissance ruler and military leader who lived from 1442 to 1503. She was known for her strategic brilliance and her role in defending her territories against foreign invasions.
In more recent history, there have been several notable individuals named Cala. Cala Brendan Forlong was an Irish writer and journalist who lived from 1819 to 1887. He wrote extensively about Irish history and culture.
Another noteworthy figure was Cala Yevik-Brutskaya, a Russian artist and painter who lived from 1880 to 1970. She was known for her vibrant and expressive works, which often depicted scenes from Russian folklore and daily life.
Lastly, Cala Curto was an Italian film director and screenwriter who lived from 1924 to 2013. He is best known for his collaborations with renowned directors such as Federico Fellini and Luchino Visconti.
While not an extremely common name, Cala has a rich history and has been borne by individuals from various cultures and backgrounds throughout the centuries. Its connection to ancient writing implements and its presence in place names contribute to its unique and intriguing history.
People
Cala + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cala as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cala: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cala?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 477 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cala going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 718,563 US residents.
Is Cala a common name?
We classify Cala as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 493 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cala most popular?
The single biggest year for Cala was 1990, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cala is about 27 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Cala in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 555 people with the name Cala, or 0.18 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #19,209 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Cala in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cala?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Cala leans strongly female. 542 people counted with this name were female (97.1%), compared with 16 male bearers (2.9%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cala?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Cala is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Black (13.9%) and Hispanic (11.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Cala most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Cala in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.2% (362 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cala in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cala a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cala in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cala still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cala in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cala can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people are named Cala?
Find out how many Americans are named Cala on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.