Kaliel
Of Hebrew origin, meaning "voice or praise of God".
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the first name Kaliel. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaliel today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaliel births was 2012 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaliel. 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
126
~ 1 in 2,720,273 Americans
Peak year
2012
9 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2023 SSA rank
#10,227
Tracked since 1994
Popularity
Kaliel: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaliel from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 48 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kaliel remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaliel 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 Kaliel 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 Kaliel
The name Kaliel is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Caliel, which means "voice of God" or "called by God." It is derived from the Hebrew words "qol" (voice) and "El" (God). The name has its roots in ancient Jewish tradition and culture, dating back to biblical times.
Caliel is mentioned in the Book of Numbers, one of the books of the Hebrew Bible, as the name of a prince from the tribe of Asher. This reference suggests that the name was in use among the ancient Israelites as early as the 13th century BCE.
In the Middle Ages, the name Caliel gained popularity among Jewish communities in various parts of Europe, particularly in Spain and Germany. During this period, the spelling variations Kaliel and Kaleel emerged, likely due to regional linguistic influences and variations in transliteration from Hebrew to other languages.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kaliel was a 12th-century Jewish philosopher and scholar from Cordoba, Spain, known as Kaliel ben Judah. He was renowned for his contributions to the study of Jewish law and philosophy.
Another notable figure was Kaliel ben Shlomo, a 13th-century Jewish physician and astronomer from Arles, France. He authored works on astronomy and astrology, which were influential in the development of these fields during the medieval period.
In the 15th century, a prominent Jewish Rabbi from Italy, Kaliel ben Shemaiah, gained recognition for his teachings and writings on Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah.
During the 16th century, Kaliel ben Isaac, a Jewish scholar and theologian from Poland, made significant contributions to the study of the Talmud and Jewish religious texts.
In the 18th century, Kaliel ben Avraham, a Jewish poet and writer from Morocco, gained recognition for his works celebrating Jewish culture and tradition.
While the name Kaliel has its roots in ancient Hebrew tradition, it has been adopted and used across various cultures and regions over the centuries, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. The name continues to be used today, though its prevalence may vary across different communities and regions.
People
Kaliel + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaliel 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
Kaliel: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaliel?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 126 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaliel 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 2,720,273 US residents.
Is Kaliel a common name?
We classify Kaliel as "Very Rare". It ranks above 67.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 127 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaliel most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaliel was 2012, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaliel is about 17 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 Kaliel in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaliel a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaliel in the SSA data are male. 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 Kaliel still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaliel 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 Kaliel 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 are named Kaliel?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.