NameCensus.
Very Rare

Caliah

A feminine name of unknown origin possibly meaning "one who speaks words of affirmation".

Name Census estimates that about 392 living Americans carry the first name Caliah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caliah today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caliah births was 2019 (28 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Caliah. 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

392

~ 1 in 874,373 Americans

Peak year

2019

28 babies that year

Average age

12

years old

2024 SSA rank

#8,017

Tracked since 2000

Popularity

Caliah: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Caliah from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 222 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Caliah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.

Babies born per year

0714212820002005201020152020

Decades

Caliah 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 Caliah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s09292
2010s0222222
2020s08181

Geography

Where Caliahs live

The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Florida, Texas recorded the most babies named Caliah, while Texas, Florida, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.

Origin

Meaning and history of Caliah

The name Caliah is a variant of the Hebrew name Kaliah, which means "crown" or "wreath." Its origins can be traced back to ancient Semitic languages, particularly Hebrew and Aramaic. The name Caliah is believed to have emerged during the biblical era, though its exact time of origin is uncertain.

In the Old Testament, the name Kaliah appears as a variant spelling of the name Caleb, which means "whole-hearted" or "faithful." However, Caliah itself is not mentioned in the Bible or other ancient religious texts. The earliest recorded use of the name Caliah dates back to the Middle Ages, where it was used among Jewish communities in Europe.

One of the earliest known individuals with the name Caliah was Caliah ben Judah, a 13th-century Jewish scholar and commentator from Spain. He authored several works on Jewish law and philosophy, making significant contributions to the intellectual traditions of his time.

In the 16th century, Caliah Joseph ben Meir Abulafia was a prominent Italian Talmudic scholar and rabbi. He lived in Venice and was renowned for his expertise in Jewish law and his contributions to the study of the Talmud.

During the 17th century, Caliah ben Ephraim was a notable Polish-Jewish scholar and author. He wrote extensively on Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah, influencing the development of these traditions in Eastern Europe.

In the 19th century, Caliah Bendavid was a prominent French-Jewish author and journalist. He wrote extensively on Jewish history and culture, contributing to the intellectual discourse of his time.

Another notable figure with the name Caliah was Caliah Shalom, an Israeli poet and writer who lived in the 20th century. He was known for his lyrical works that explored themes of love, nature, and Jewish identity.

While the name Caliah has been used throughout history, it has remained relatively uncommon compared to other Hebrew names. However, its connection to the concept of a "crown" or "wreath" has imbued it with a sense of nobility and distinction.

People

Caliah + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Caliah 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

Caliah: questions and answers

How many people in the U.S. are named Caliah?

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 392 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caliah 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 874,373 US residents.

Is Caliah a common name?

We classify Caliah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 395 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Caliah most popular?

The single biggest year for Caliah was 2019, when 28 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caliah is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

Is Caliah a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caliah 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.

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.

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Caliah

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