Kaliah
A feminine name derived from the Arabic word "kali" meaning "speech".
Name Census estimates that about 2,524 living Americans carry the first name Kaliah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaliah today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaliah births was 2021 (129 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaliah. 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
- • Kaliah is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.5K
~ 1 in 135,798 Americans
Peak year
2021
129 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,840
Tracked since 1978
Popularity
Kaliah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaliah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,019 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kaliah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaliah 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 Kaliah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaliahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 22 states and territories. California, Florida, Texas recorded the most babies named Kaliah, while Washington, Oregon, Nevada recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 51 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaliah
The name Kaliah is of Arabic origin, derived from the word "Kali," which means "eternal" or "everlasting." The name has been in use since ancient times, particularly in the Middle East and North Africa.
In the 7th century, the name Kaliah appeared in some early Islamic texts and historical records. It was a name given to both males and females during that era, although it was more commonly used for girls.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaliah was in the 9th century, when a prominent Islamic scholar and philosopher, Kaliah ibn al-Rashid, lived in Baghdad. He was known for his contributions to the fields of mathematics and astronomy.
In the 12th century, Kaliah al-Hakim was a renowned poet and writer from the city of Damascus. Her works were widely celebrated and studied in the literary circles of the time.
During the 14th century, Kaliah al-Andalusi was a notable architect and engineer from the Iberian Peninsula. He was responsible for designing and overseeing the construction of several iconic buildings and structures in the region.
In the 16th century, Kaliah al-Maghribi was a famous explorer and traveler from Morocco. He documented his journeys across the Mediterranean and parts of Europe in a book that became a seminal work of travel literature.
Another notable figure with the name Kaliah was Kaliah al-Misri, a 17th-century physician and scholar from Egypt. He made significant contributions to the field of medicine and authored several treatises on various medical topics.
Over the centuries, the name Kaliah has been interpreted and adapted in different cultures and languages, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its roots can be traced back to the ancient Arabic word "Kali," reflecting the name's timeless and enduring quality.
People
Kaliah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaliah 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
Kaliah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaliah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,524 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaliah 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 135,798 US residents.
Is Kaliah a common name?
We classify Kaliah as "Rare". It ranks above 94.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,555 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaliah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaliah was 2021, when 129 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaliah is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kaliah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaliah 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.