Kailah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "she who is slender and thin".
Name Census estimates that about 2,201 living Americans carry the first name Kailah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kailah today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kailah births was 2002 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kailah. 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
2.2K
~ 1 in 155,727 Americans
Peak year
2002
99 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,233
Tracked since 1982
Popularity
Kailah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kailah from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 869 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kailah 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 Kailah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kailahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 18 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kailah, while Washington, Tennessee, New Mexico recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 49 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kailah
The name Kailah is a modern variant of the Hebrew name Kayla, which means "crown" or "wreath." It is derived from the Hebrew word "keter," meaning "crown." This name has its roots in ancient Semitic languages and can be traced back to the biblical era.
Kayla, the traditional spelling, first appeared in the Bible as a masculine name. In the Book of Numbers, Kayla is listed as one of the leaders of the tribe of Naphtali. However, the name gained popularity as a feminine name much later, possibly during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kailah can be found in the 13th century, when it was borne by Kailah bint al-Aziz, a princess of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt. She lived from 1215 to 1257 and was known for her patronage of the arts and literature.
In the 16th century, Kailah al-Hashimiyah was a renowned poet and scholar from Syria. She was born in Damascus in 1508 and gained recognition for her contributions to Arabic literature.
During the 18th century, Kailah bint Muhammad al-Qadiri was a famous Sufi mystic and scholar from Iraq. She lived from 1720 to 1795 and was renowned for her teachings and writings on Islamic spirituality.
In the 19th century, Kailah Delitzsch was a German Orientalist and theologian who lived from 1813 to 1890. She made significant contributions to the study of Semitic languages and biblical exegesis.
Another notable figure was Kailah al-Muhammadiyah, an Egyptian feminist and activist who lived from 1865 to 1947. She was a pioneer in advocating for women's rights and education in the Arab world.
While the name Kailah has ancient roots, its modern popularity can be attributed to its unique and melodic sound, as well as its connection to the symbolic meaning of "crown" or "wreath." It has become a favored choice for parents seeking a name with a rich cultural heritage and a touch of individuality.
People
Kailah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kailah as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kailah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kailah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,201 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kailah 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 155,727 US residents.
Is Kailah a common name?
We classify Kailah as "Rare". It ranks above 94.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,240 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kailah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kailah was 2002, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kailah is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kailah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kailah 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.