Kailea
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "heavenly lei".
Name Census estimates that about 972 living Americans carry the first name Kailea. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kailea today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kailea births was 2012 (49 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kailea. 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
972
~ 1 in 352,628 Americans
Peak year
2012
49 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#4,234
Tracked since 1984
Popularity
Kailea: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kailea from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 324 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kailea remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kailea 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 Kailea during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaileas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Hawaii, Texas recorded the most babies named Kailea, while Texas, Hawaii, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 96 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kailea
The name Kailea has its origins in the Hawaiian language and culture, tracing back to the ancient Polynesian settlers of the Hawaiian Islands. It is a combination of two Hawaiian words: "kai," meaning sea or ocean, and "lea," which signifies joy, happiness, or calmness. The name can be interpreted as "joyful ocean" or "serene sea," reflecting the deep connection between the Hawaiian people and the vast Pacific waters surrounding their islands.
While the exact origins of the name Kailea are not well-documented in historical records, it is believed to have been in use among the native Hawaiians for centuries, perhaps even before the arrival of Western explorers and colonizers. The name's roots in Hawaiian language and culture suggest that it may have been borne by individuals of significance in ancient Hawaiian society, though specific records are scarce.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kailea can be found in the 19th century, when a Hawaiian woman named Kailea Keaweamahi lived on the island of Maui. Born in the early 1800s, she was known for her involvement in the preservation of Hawaiian culture and traditions, particularly in the realms of hula and chant.
Another notable figure named Kailea was Kailea Kapu, a Hawaiian activist and educator who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. She dedicated her life to advocating for the rights of native Hawaiians and promoting Hawaiian language and cultural education in schools.
In the realm of literature, the name Kailea appears in the work of Hawaiian author and scholar Mary Kawena Pukui, who wrote extensively about Hawaiian language, folklore, and traditions. One of her books, "Olelo No'eau: Hawaiian Proverbs and Poetical Sayings," includes a reference to a chant or poem featuring a character named Kailea.
Beyond Hawaii, the name Kailea has also been used by individuals of other cultural backgrounds, though its origins can still be traced back to the Hawaiian language and traditions. One example is Kailea Samuels, an American musician and singer-songwriter who gained recognition in the early 2000s for her blend of folk and indie rock styles.
Lastly, in the world of sports, Kailea Tagovailoa-Amosa is a notable figure, an American football player who played defensive tackle for the University of Hawaii and was later drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the National Football League (NFL) in 2022.
People
Kailea + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kailea 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
Kailea: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kailea?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 972 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kailea 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 352,628 US residents.
Is Kailea a common name?
We classify Kailea as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 987 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kailea most popular?
The single biggest year for Kailea was 2012, when 49 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kailea is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kailea a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kailea 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.