Kalei
Hawaiian feminine name meaning "the wreath" or "the lei".
Name Census estimates that about 2,161 living Americans carry the first name Kalei. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 88.0% of registrations being female. The average person named Kalei today is around 21 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalei births was 2003 (142 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalei. 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 158,609 Americans
Peak year
2003
142 babies that year
Average age
21
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,201
Tracked since 1973
Gender
Gender distribution for Kalei
Kalei leans heavily female at 88.0% of total registrations, but 265 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kalei as a male name
- Ranked #10,356 in 2024
- 7 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (17 births)
Kalei as a female name
- Ranked #5,201 in 2024
- 25 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2003 (142 births)
Popularity
Kalei: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalei from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 971 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
Kalei 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 Kalei during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaleis live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, Hawaii recorded the most babies named Kalei, while Virginia, Michigan, Missouri recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 36 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalei
The given name Kalei is believed to have its origins in the Hawaiian language and culture. It is derived from the Hawaiian words "ka lei," which translates to "the lei" or "the garland." Lei is a traditional Hawaiian wreath or garland made from flowers, leaves, shells, or other natural materials, often worn around the neck or head for cultural ceremonies and celebrations.
The name Kalei has been in use in Hawaiian culture for centuries, although the exact time of its origin is unclear. It is likely that the name was initially associated with the cultural significance of leis and their symbolic representation of love, respect, and reverence in Hawaiian traditions.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalei can be found in the Hawaiian language newspaper "Ka Nupepa Kuokoa" from the late 19th century, where a person named Kalei Kamaiopili was mentioned in an article published in 1868.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Kalei. One such person was Kalei Hussey, a Hawaiian musician and songwriter who was born in 1948 and is renowned for her contributions to the Hawaiian Renaissance movement in the late 20th century.
Another notable Kalei was Kalei Kaaihue, a professional baseball player from Hawaii who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for teams like the Kansas City Royals and Oakland Athletics between 2008 and 2012.
In the realm of Hawaiian politics, Kalei Akina, born in 1952, is a prominent figure who served as the President and CEO of the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, a public policy think tank dedicated to promoting individual liberty and free markets.
Kalei Kanahele, born in 1965, is a Hawaiian activist and educator who has been actively involved in the preservation of Hawaiian culture and language, as well as advocating for the rights of Native Hawaiians.
Another notable Kalei was Kalei Fernandez, a Hawaiian surfer and competitive swimmer who was born in 1993 and represented Hawaii in various surfing competitions throughout her career.
It is important to note that these examples are not exhaustive, and there may be other individuals with the name Kalei who have made significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
People
Kalei + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalei 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
Kalei: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalei?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,161 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalei 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 158,609 US residents.
Is Kalei a common name?
We classify Kalei as "Rare". It ranks above 94% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,200 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalei most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalei was 2003, when 142 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalei is about 21 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kalei a female name?
Yes, 88.0% of people registered as Kalei 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.