Kalis
A feminine name derived from the Hindu goddess Kali.
Name Census estimates that about 258 living Americans carry the first name Kalis. It is a predominantly female name (98.1% of registrations). The average person named Kalis today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalis births was 2007 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalis. 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
258
~ 1 in 1,328,505 Americans
Peak year
2007
22 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2000 SSA rank
#11,294
Tracked since 2000
Census
Kalis in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 241 people with the first name Kalis, which placed it at #34,040 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
#34,040
National first-name rank
People counted
241
241 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
69.7% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalis
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalis is Black at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.0%) and White (10.0%). 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 Kalis 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 Kalis at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American69.7% · 168
- Hispanic or Latino12.0% · 29
- White10.0% · 24
- Two or more races5.8% · 14
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 2
Gender
Gender distribution for Kalis
Kalis leans heavily female at 98.1% of total registrations, but 5 boys have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Kalis as a male name
- Ranked #11,294 in 2000
- 5 male births in 2000
- Peak: 2000 (5 births)
Kalis as a female name
- Ranked #16,313 in 2023
- 5 female births in 2023
- Peak: 2007 (22 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kalis leans strongly female. 203 people counted with this name were female (83.5%), compared with 40 male bearers (16.5%).
Popularity
Kalis: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalis from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 141 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalis 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 Kalis 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 Kalis
The name Kalis is believed to have its origins in ancient Greece, where it was derived from the Greek word "kalos," meaning beautiful or noble. This name was often associated with the concept of physical and moral beauty, and it was considered a prestigious name in Greek culture.
In the early days of Christianity, the name Kalis gained popularity as it was borne by several early Christian saints and martyrs. One notable figure was Saint Kalis of Iconium, who lived in the 3rd century AD and was martyred for her faith during the Roman persecutions of Christians.
The name Kalis also has roots in Hindu mythology, where it is associated with the goddess Kali, a powerful and fierce deity who represents the divine feminine energy. In this context, the name Kalis symbolizes strength, courage, and the ability to overcome obstacles.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kalis was relatively uncommon in Europe, but it experienced a resurgence in popularity during the Renaissance period. One prominent figure from this era was Kalis Palaiologos, a Byzantine princess who lived in the 15th century and played a significant role in the cultural and political affairs of her time.
In more recent history, the name Kalis has been borne by several notable figures, including Kalis Monteiro, a Brazilian writer and journalist who lived from 1898 to 1965 and was known for her influential work in promoting women's rights and social justice.
Another notable Kalis was Kalis Karavelov, a Bulgarian writer, poet, and revolutionary who lived from 1834 to 1879 and played a crucial role in the struggle for Bulgarian independence from the Ottoman Empire.
In the realm of sports, Kalis Tsitsipas, a Greek professional tennis player born in 1998, has achieved international recognition and continues to make his mark on the ATP Tour.
Additionally, Kalis Konstantinides, a Greek-American artist and sculptor born in 1920, gained acclaim for her abstract and minimalist works, which explored themes of identity and the human experience.
Overall, the name Kalis has a rich and diverse history, spanning various cultures and time periods, and has been borne by individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields, from literature and politics to art and sports.
People
Kalis + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalis 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
Kalis: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalis?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 258 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalis 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 1,328,505 US residents.
Is Kalis a common name?
We classify Kalis as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 261 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalis most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalis was 2007, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalis is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kalis in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 241 people with the name Kalis, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #34,040 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 Kalis 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 Kalis?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kalis leans strongly female. 203 people counted with this name were female (83.5%), compared with 40 male bearers (16.5%). 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 Kalis?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalis is Black at 69.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (12.0%) and White (10.0%). 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 Kalis most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Kalis in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.7% (168 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 Kalis in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalis a female name?
Yes, 98.1% of people registered as Kalis 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 Kalis still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalis 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 Kalis 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 people have the name Kalis?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.