Kairah
A rare name of uncertain origin, possibly meaning "little girl".
Name Census estimates that about 220 living Americans carry the first name Kairah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kairah today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kairah births was 2019 (16 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kairah. 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 Kairah with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
220
~ 1 in 1,557,974 Americans
Peak year
2019
16 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,847
Tracked since 2000
Popularity
Kairah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kairah 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 109 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kairah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kairah 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 Kairah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kairah
The name Kairah is believed to have originated from the Sanskrit language, which was the classical language of ancient India. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "kara," which means "ray of light" or "beam of light." The name gained popularity during the ancient Vedic period, which spanned from around 1500 BCE to 500 BCE.
Kairah was a name commonly used in Hindu scriptures and texts, particularly in the Vedas and Upanishads. It was often associated with the concept of divine radiance, enlightenment, and spiritual illumination. The name was believed to bestow these qualities upon the bearer.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kairah can be found in the Rigveda, one of the oldest and most revered Hindu scriptures, which dates back to around 1500 BCE. In the Rigveda, the name is mentioned in several hymns and verses, often in reference to the radiant beams of the sun or the divine light of the gods.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kairah. One of the most famous was Kairah the Wise, a renowned Hindu sage and philosopher who lived in the 8th century CE. He was known for his profound teachings on the nature of consciousness and the path to enlightenment.
Another prominent figure was Kairah Devi, a powerful queen who ruled over the Chola Empire in southern India during the 11th century CE. She was renowned for her military prowess, political acumen, and patronage of the arts and literature.
In the realm of literature, Kairah Bhatt was a celebrated Sanskrit poet and scholar who lived in the 12th century CE. His works, which included poems and treatises on grammar and philosophy, were highly influential during his time and continue to be studied by scholars today.
The name Kairah also appeared in Persian and Mughal literature, as evidenced by the works of Kairah Hussain, a renowned Sufi poet and mystic who lived in the 16th century CE. His poetry often explored themes of divine love, spirituality, and the human condition.
In more recent times, one notable figure was Kairah Mustafa, an influential Indian independence activist and leader who played a significant role in the struggle against British colonial rule in the early 20th century. She was a prominent member of the Indian National Congress and worked tirelessly for the cause of Indian freedom.
People
Kairah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kairah 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
Kairah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kairah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 220 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kairah 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 1,557,974 US residents.
Is Kairah a common name?
We classify Kairah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 75.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 222 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kairah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kairah was 2019, when 16 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kairah is about 13 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 Kairah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kairah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kairah 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 Kairah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kairah 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 Kairah 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 Kairah?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.