NameCensus.
Very Rare

Caylani

A feminine name of Arabic origin meaning "delicate, refined, or elegant".

Name Census estimates that about 177 living Americans carry the first name Caylani. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Caylani today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caylani births was 2022 (29 babies).

This page is the full Name Census profile for Caylani. 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

177

~ 1 in 1,936,465 Americans

Peak year

2022

29 babies that year

Average age

6

years old

2024 SSA rank

#4,670

Tracked since 2009

Popularity

Caylani: popularity over time

The SSA tracks Caylani from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 124 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.

Babies born per year

07152229201020152020

Decades

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

DecadeMaleFemaleTotal
2000s055
2010s04949
2020s0124124

Geography

Where Caylanis live

Origin

Meaning and history of Caylani

Caylani is a feminine given name with roots tracing back to the ancient Sumerian culture of Mesopotamia, one of the earliest civilizations in human history, dating back to around 3500 BCE. The name is believed to be derived from the Sumerian word "kalanu," which means "to shine" or "to radiate." This suggests that the name may have been originally associated with the sun, light, or celestial bodies, which were revered in ancient Sumerian cosmology.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caylani can be found in a cuneiform tablet from the city of Uruk, which was a major urban center in ancient Sumer. The tablet, dated to around 2500 BCE, contains a list of names, and Caylani is among them. This suggests that the name has been in use for at least four and a half millennia.

Throughout the centuries, the name Caylani has appeared in various historical records and texts from the region. One notable mention is in the Epic of Gilgamesh, an ancient Mesopotamian epic poem that is considered one of the earliest surviving works of literature. In the epic, there is a character named Caylani, who is described as a priestess of the goddess Inanna.

During the Babylonian period, which lasted from around 1900 BCE to 539 BCE, the name Caylani gained further prominence. One famous bearer of the name was Caylani of Babylon, a renowned astrologer and mathematician who lived around the 6th century BCE. She is credited with making significant contributions to the field of astronomy and is said to have predicted several celestial events with remarkable accuracy.

In the 4th century BCE, another notable figure named Caylani emerged in the Persian Empire. Caylani of Persepolis was a skilled architect who played a crucial role in the construction of the magnificent palace complex at Persepolis, one of the most impressive architectural achievements of ancient Persia.

Moving forward in time, the name Caylani continued to be used, albeit less frequently, throughout various cultures and civilizations in the Middle East and surrounding regions. One notable bearer was Caylani al-Andalusi, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in Andalusia (modern-day Spain) during the 11th century CE. Her poetry was widely celebrated and she was known for her mastery of various literary forms.

Another important figure was Caylani of Damascus, a skilled calligrapher and illuminator who lived in the 13th century CE. She was renowned for her exquisite calligraphic works, many of which adorned religious texts and manuscripts of the time.

While the name Caylani has its roots in ancient Sumerian culture, it has transcended geographical and temporal boundaries, appearing in various historical records and texts throughout the centuries. The name's association with light, radiance, and celestial bodies has endured, making it a unique and captivating choice for those seeking a name with a rich historical lineage.

People

Caylani + last name combinations

How many people share a full name with Caylani 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

Caylani: questions and answers

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

Name Census puts the figure at roughly 177 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caylani 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 1,936,465 US residents.

Is Caylani a common name?

We classify Caylani as "Very Rare". It ranks above 72.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 178 babies have been registered with this name.

When was Caylani most popular?

The single biggest year for Caylani was 2022, when 29 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caylani is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.

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 Caylani in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.

Is Caylani a female name?

Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Caylani 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 Caylani still being used today?

Yes. The SSA still recorded Caylani 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 Caylani 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.

Does every first name have Census demographic data?

No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.

How many people have the name Caylani?

See how many people share the name Caylani on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.

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There are 177 people

with the first name

Caylani

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