Kalae
A Hawaiian name meaning "the bright light, dawn, or daybreak".
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Kalae. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 70.6% of registrations being female. The average person named Kalae today is around 33 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalae births was 1990 (7 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalae. 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.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kalae. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
1990
7 babies that year
Average age
33
years old
2010 SSA rank
#10,725
Tracked since 1980
Census
Kalae in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 158 people with the first name Kalae, which placed it at #44,091 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#44,091
National first-name rank
People counted
158
158 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Two or more races
38.0% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalae
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalae is Two or More Races at 38.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.3%) and Hispanic (15.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kalae described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kalae at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Two or more races38.0% · 60
- Asian and Pacific Islander25.3% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino15.2% · 24
- White11.4% · 18
- Black or African American8.9% · 14
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.3% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Kalae
Kalae is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 17 total registrations, 5 (29.4%) were male and 12 (70.6%) were female.
Kalae as a male name
- Ranked #13,267 in 2010
- 5 male births in 2010
- Peak: 2010 (5 births)
Kalae as a female name
- Ranked #10,725 in 1990
- 7 female births in 1990
- Peak: 1990 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kalae on both sides of the split. Of the 164 people counted with this name, 83 were male (50.6%) and 81 were female (49.4%).
Popularity
Kalae: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalae from the 1980s through to the 2010s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 7 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Kalae remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalae 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 Kalae 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 Kalae
The given name Kalae has its origins in Hawaiian culture and language. It is believed to have emerged during the early centuries of Hawaiian history, around the time of the first settlements on the Hawaiian Islands.
Kalae is derived from the Hawaiian word "kalae," which means "point" or "promontory." This suggests that the name may have been inspired by the archipelago's stunning coastal landscapes and the prominent headlands jutting out into the Pacific Ocean.
While there are no known direct references to the name Kalae in ancient Hawaiian chants or oral traditions, it is likely that the name was used by the indigenous Hawaiians as a way to honor their connection to the land and the natural beauty surrounding them.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kalae was a Hawaiian chief who lived in the late 18th century. Unfortunately, historical records do not provide many details about his life or accomplishments.
In the 19th century, a notable figure named Kalae Kaikaina (born around 1820) was a member of the royal court of King Kamehameha III. He served as a trusted advisor and played a role in the governance of the Kingdom of Hawaii during a period of significant social and political change.
Another individual named Kalae Kauhi (birth and death dates unknown) was a Hawaiian soldier who fought in the Battle of Kuamoo in 1819, which was a conflict between the forces of King Kamehameha I and the rebellious forces of Kekuaokalani.
In the early 20th century, Kalae Kauahi (1885-1962) was a renowned Hawaiian musician and composer. He is credited with preserving and popularizing traditional Hawaiian music through his performances and recordings.
Lastly, Kalae Kimokeo (1917-1998) was a Hawaiian artist and educator who dedicated her life to promoting and teaching the art of Hawaiian quilting. Her intricate quilts and dedication to preserving this cultural tradition earned her widespread recognition and respect within the Hawaiian community.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who carried the name Kalae, which reflects the rich cultural heritage and connection to the land that is deeply ingrained in Hawaiian tradition.
People
Kalae + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalae 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
Kalae: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalae?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalae 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Kalae a common name?
We classify Kalae as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 17 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalae most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalae was 1990, when 7 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalae is about 33 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kalae in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 158 people with the name Kalae, or 0.05 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #44,091 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kalae in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kalae?
The 2020 Census sex table shows Kalae on both sides of the split. Of the 164 people counted with this name, 83 were male (50.6%) and 81 were female (49.4%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kalae?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalae is Two or More Races at 38.0%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (25.3%) and Hispanic (15.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kalae most often in the Census?
Two or More Races is the largest reported group for people named Kalae in the 2020 Census, accounting for 38.0% (60 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kalae in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalae a female name?
Yes, 70.6% of people registered as Kalae 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 Kalae still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalae 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 Kalae 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.
How many Americans are named Kalae?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.