Kalila
An Arabic name meaning "little friend" or "dear little one".
Name Census estimates that about 1,097 living Americans carry the first name Kalila. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kalila today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalila births was 2019 (67 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalila. 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
- • Kalila is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 312,447 Americans
Peak year
2019
67 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#3,665
Tracked since 1977
Popularity
Kalila: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalila 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 420 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kalila remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalila 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 Kalila during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalilas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. California, Texas, Florida recorded the most babies named Kalila, while Georgia, New York, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 40 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalila
The name Kalila has its origins in Arabic, derived from the word "kalila" which means "little" or "small". It is believed to have first emerged during the medieval period in the Middle East and North Africa.
The name gained prominence through the famous Arabic literary work "Kalila wa Dimna", a collection of fables and animal stories that were translated into several languages and had a significant influence on world literature. This work, originally from the 8th century, is considered one of the earliest examples of the use of the name Kalila.
In the 12th century, a famous poet and philosopher from Persia, Nizami Ganjavi, wrote a poem called "Kalila and Dimna" which further popularized the name. This work was based on the earlier Arabic collection and became widely influential in the Persian literary tradition.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kalila was Kalila al-Andalusiyya, a renowned poet and writer from Al-Andalus (modern-day Spain) who lived in the 11th century. Her poetic works were praised for their eloquence and emotional depth.
Another notable figure was Kalila bint Al-Baramikee, a princess and scholar from the Abbasid Caliphate in Baghdad during the 9th century. She was known for her exceptional knowledge of literature, philosophy, and various sciences.
In the 13th century, there was a prominent Sufi mystic and poet named Kalila Baghdadi, who was born in Baghdad but spent most of his life in Persia. His mystical poetry and teachings were highly respected in the region.
During the Ottoman Empire, there was a famous Ottoman calligrapher named Kalila Muhibbi, who lived in the 16th century. He was renowned for his intricate and beautiful calligraphic works, which were often used to adorn mosques and palaces.
In more recent history, Kalila Al-Baher was a prominent Egyptian writer and journalist who lived from 1909 to 1989. Her works were instrumental in promoting women's rights and addressing social issues in Egypt during the 20th century.
People
Kalila + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalila 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
Kalila: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalila?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,097 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalila 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 312,447 US residents.
Is Kalila a common name?
We classify Kalila as "Rare". It ranks above 90.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,116 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalila most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalila was 2019, when 67 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalila is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kalila a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalila 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.