Kaliana
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "the heavenly one".
Name Census estimates that about 877 living Americans carry the first name Kaliana. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kaliana today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaliana births was 2018 (63 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaliana. 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
877
~ 1 in 390,826 Americans
Peak year
2018
63 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,130
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Kaliana: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaliana from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 427 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kaliana remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaliana 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 Kaliana during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalianas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Kaliana, while Indiana, Pennsylvania, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaliana
The name Kaliana is believed to have its origins in the Sanskrit language of ancient India, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is thought to be derived from the Sanskrit words "kali," meaning "time" or "eternity," and "ana," meaning "breath" or "to breathe." The name is often interpreted to mean "eternal breath" or "breath of eternity."
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Kaliana can be found in the ancient Hindu text, the Mahabharata, where it is mentioned as the name of a celestial nymph or apsara. This reference suggests that the name was associated with divine beauty and grace in Indian mythology.
During the medieval period, the name Kaliana gained popularity in certain regions of India, particularly among Hindu communities. It was often given to girls as a symbol of longevity and a connection to the spiritual realm.
In the 12th century, a famous Indian poet and philosopher named Kaliana Mallik wrote several influential works on Vedanta philosophy and Hindu spirituality. His writings contributed to the spread and recognition of the name across the Indian subcontinent.
Another notable figure with the name Kaliana was Kaliana Devi, a 16th-century princess and patron of the arts from the Rajput kingdom of Mewar, located in present-day Rajasthan, India. She was known for her support of poets, musicians, and artists during her reign.
In the 19th century, Kaliana Banerjee was a prominent Bengali writer and social reformer who advocated for women's education and the abolition of the practice of child marriage in India. She published several works on these topics and was recognized for her contributions to the Bengali Renaissance.
More recently, in the 20th century, Kaliana Sithole was a South African activist and leader in the African National Congress (ANC) who fought against apartheid and racial segregation. She played a significant role in the struggle for freedom and democracy in South Africa.
While the name Kaliana has its roots in ancient India, it has since been adopted and used in various cultures and regions around the world, often with slight variations in spelling or pronunciation. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the rich cultural heritage of the Indian subcontinent.
People
Kaliana + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaliana 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
Kaliana: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaliana?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 877 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaliana 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 390,826 US residents.
Is Kaliana a common name?
We classify Kaliana as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 885 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaliana most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaliana was 2018, when 63 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaliana is about 12 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kaliana a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaliana 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.