Kailo
An unisex Sami name referring to the snowshoe's turned-up tip.
Name Census estimates that about 517 living Americans carry the first name Kailo. It is a predominantly male name (96.9% of registrations). The average person named Kailo today is around 5 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kailo births was 2022 (99 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kailo. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kailo with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
517
~ 1 in 662,968 Americans
Peak year
2022
99 babies that year
Average age
5
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,242
Tracked since 2010
Gender
Gender distribution for Kailo
Kailo leans heavily male at 96.9% of total registrations, but 16 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kailo as a male name
- Ranked #2,242 in 2024
- 64 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (94 births)
Kailo as a female name
- Ranked #16,427 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2020 (6 births)
Popularity
Kailo: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kailo from the 2010s through to the 2020s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 421 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
Decades
Kailo 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 Kailo during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kailos live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. California, Florida, Texas recorded the most babies named Kailo, while Colorado, Arizona, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 25 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kailo
The name Kailo is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, with roots dating back to the Vedic period between 1500-500 BCE. Derived from the Sanskrit word "kaila," meaning "dark complexion" or "dark-hued," it was initially used as a descriptive term to refer to individuals with darker skin tones.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Kailo can be found in the Mahabharata, a revered Hindu epic composed between the 8th and 9th centuries BCE. Here, it is mentioned as the name of a minor character, a warrior in the service of the Pandava prince Arjuna.
During the medieval period in India, the name Kailo gained popularity among certain communities, particularly in the northern regions. It was often bestowed upon children as a symbol of beauty and strength, reflecting the cultural admiration for those with darker complexions.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Kailo was Kailo Devi, a 13th-century queen of the Chahamana dynasty in Rajasthan. She is remembered for her patronage of the arts and for commissioning the construction of several temples and monuments that still stand today.
Another individual of note was Kailo Khan, a 16th-century military commander who served under the Mughal Emperor Akbar. He played a significant role in various military campaigns and was known for his strategic prowess on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, Kailo Narayan Pandita was a celebrated Sanskrit scholar and poet who lived in the 17th century. His works, including the Naishadha Charita, a poetic retelling of an episode from the Mahabharata, are considered masterpieces of Sanskrit literature.
Moving forward in time, the 19th century saw the birth of Kailo Charan Banerji, a prominent Indian social reformer and educationist. He was instrumental in establishing several educational institutions and worked tirelessly to promote female education and social progress in Bengal.
Another noteworthy individual was Kailo Singh, a 20th-century Indian freedom fighter who actively participated in the struggle for independence from British rule. He was incarcerated multiple times for his involvement in the non-violent resistance movement led by Mahatma Gandhi.
While the name Kailo has its roots in ancient India, it has also found its way into other cultures and languages over time, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its core meaning and historical significance remain rooted in the Sanskrit language and the rich cultural traditions of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Kailo + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kailo 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
Kailo: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kailo?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 517 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kailo 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 662,968 US residents.
Is Kailo a common name?
We classify Kailo as "Very Rare". It ranks above 84.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 520 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kailo most popular?
The single biggest year for Kailo was 2022, when 99 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kailo is about 5 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 Kailo in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kailo a male name?
Yes, 96.9% of people registered as Kailo in the SSA data are male. 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 Kailo still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kailo 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 Kailo 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 are called Kailo?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.