Kalina
A feminine given name of Slavic origin meaning "viburnum" or "guelder rose".
Name Census estimates that about 4,076 living Americans carry the first name Kalina. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kalina today is around 18 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalina births was 2019 (171 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalina. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kalina with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
4.1K
~ 1 in 84,091 Americans
Peak year
2019
171 babies that year
Average age
18
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,605
Tracked since 1962
Census
Kalina in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 3,451 people with the first name Kalina, which placed it at #5,093 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#5,093
National first-name rank
People counted
3.5K
3,451 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
1.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
52.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalina
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalina is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.2%) and Two or More Races (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kalina described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kalina at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White52.3% · 1,804
- Hispanic or Latino19.2% · 661
- Two or more races10.3% · 354
- Black or African American8.8% · 305
- Asian and Pacific Islander8.5% · 294
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 33
Popularity
Kalina: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalina from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 1,323 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kalina remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalina 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 Kalina during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalinas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 24 states and territories. California, Florida, New York recorded the most babies named Kalina, while Oklahoma, Missouri, Hawaii recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 89 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalina
The name Kalina has its roots in Slavic languages, originating from the Bulgarian word "kalina," which refers to the Viburnum plant, a genus of shrubs or small trees native to the Northern Hemisphere. This name has been in use since ancient times, with various spellings such as Kalyna, Kalena, and Kalinka.
In Bulgarian folklore, the Viburnum plant holds significant symbolism, often associated with beauty, strength, and resilience. The name Kalina is believed to have been inspired by the vibrant red berries of the Viburnum, which were sometimes used in traditional medicine and culinary practices.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalina can be found in the epic poem "The Tale of Igor's Campaign," a 12th-century Russian literary work. In this poem, the name appears as a reference to a young woman, possibly a symbol of the motherland or a personification of nature's beauty.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Kalina. Kalina Jędrusik (1876-1949) was a Polish educator and author who wrote extensively on pedagogical methods and children's literature. Kalina Kravikovskaya (1860-1945) was a Russian philanthropist and social activist, known for her contributions to education and women's rights movements.
In the realm of the arts, Kalina Bamberski (1963-) is a Polish-French actress and director who has appeared in numerous films and theatrical productions. Kalina Malina (1994-) is a contemporary Bulgarian singer and songwriter, known for her powerful vocals and unique blend of pop and folk music.
Another notable figure is Kalina Stefanova (1978-), a Bulgarian volleyball player who represented her country in multiple Olympic Games and won several international championships, including the European Championship in 2007 and the World Grand Prix in 2012.
While the name Kalina has its roots in Slavic cultures, it has gained popularity across various regions, transcending linguistic and cultural boundaries. The name continues to be celebrated for its connection to nature, symbolism, and the rich heritage of the Slavic peoples.
People
Kalina + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalina 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
Kalina: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalina?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4,076 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalina 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 84,091 US residents.
Is Kalina a common name?
We classify Kalina as "Rare". It ranks above 96.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 4,152 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalina most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalina was 2019, when 171 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalina is about 18 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kalina in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 3,451 people with the name Kalina, or 1.14 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #5,093 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kalina in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kalina?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kalina appears almost entirely female. Of the 3,460 people counted with this name, 99.6% were female and only a very small share were male. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kalina?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalina is White at 52.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (19.2%) and Two or More Races (10.3%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kalina most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kalina in the 2020 Census, accounting for 52.3% (1,804 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kalina in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalina a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalina 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.
Is Kalina still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalina 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 Kalina 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.
How many Americans are named Kalina?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.