Kallan
An Irish name meaning "mighty, bright-headed", from the Gaelic word "ceallach".
Name Census estimates that about 1,101 living Americans carry the first name Kallan. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 66.5% of registrations being male. The average person named Kallan today is around 14 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kallan births was 2022 (89 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kallan. 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
- • Kallan was once a predominantly female name but has become increasingly popular for boys in recent decades.
- • Kallan is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 14 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 311,312 Americans
Peak year
2022
89 babies that year
Average age
14
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,379
Tracked since 1985
Gender
Gender distribution for Kallan
Kallan is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,114 total registrations, 741 (66.5%) were male and 373 (33.5%) were female.
Kallan as a male name
- Ranked #2,379 in 2024
- 59 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (75 births)
Kallan as a female name
- Ranked #10,629 in 2024
- 9 female births in 2024
- Peak: 1999 (20 births)
Popularity
Kallan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kallan from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 434 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kallan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kallan 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 Kallan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kallans live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Texas, Virginia, California recorded the most babies named Kallan, while Ohio, Georgia, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 10 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kallan
The name Kallan has its origins in the Gaelic and Irish languages, and it is believed to have been derived from the Old Irish word "callan," which means "young man" or "lad." This name has been in use since ancient times and has a rich history spanning several centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kallan can be found in the Irish Annals, which are a collection of historical records dating back to the 5th century AD. In these annals, Kallan is mentioned as the name of a prominent Irish warrior who lived during the 6th century.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kallan gained popularity among Irish and Scottish families, particularly those with strong ties to the Gaelic culture and traditions. Several notable figures from this period bore the name, including Kallan Óg, a renowned Irish poet and bard who lived in the 12th century.
In the 16th century, Kallan Buidhe, also known as Callan Yellow, was a famous Irish chieftain and leader of the Clan Ó Duibhir. He played a significant role in the Irish Confederate Wars, which took place from 1641 to 1653.
Another notable figure with the name Kallan was Kallan Óg Ó Raghallaigh, a celebrated Irish harper who lived in the 17th century. He was renowned for his skills in playing the traditional Irish harp and was highly respected among his contemporaries.
In the 19th century, Kallan Mac Donlevy was a prominent Irish nationalist and journalist who advocated for Irish independence from British rule. He was born in 1828 and played a crucial role in the Irish republican movement of the time.
While the name Kallan has its roots in the Gaelic and Irish cultures, it has also been adopted by other communities around the world, particularly those with Celtic or Irish heritage. The name has endured through the centuries, carrying with it a rich tapestry of cultural and historical significance.
People
Kallan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kallan 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
Kallan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kallan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,101 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kallan 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 311,312 US residents.
Is Kallan a common name?
We classify Kallan 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, 1,114 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kallan most popular?
The single biggest year for Kallan was 2022, when 89 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kallan is about 14 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kallan a male name?
Yes, 66.5% of people registered as Kallan 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.
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.