Kalup
A unique invented name, possibly blending "Kalah" meaning bride with "up".
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Kalup. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kalup today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalup births was 2002 (9 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalup. 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 Kalup with official rankings and popularity over time.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kalup. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2002
9 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2007 SSA rank
#10,333
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Kalup: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalup from the 1980s through to the 2000s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1990s, with 38 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1990s peak, Kalup remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalup 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 Kalup 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 Kalup
The name Kalup has its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language of India, dating back to around the 5th century BCE. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "kalyāṇa," which means "auspicious," "fortunate," or "blessed." This name was commonly given to boys born during auspicious times or under favorable astrological circumstances.
Kalup has been mentioned in various ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, including the Vedas and the Puranas. It was a popular name among the Brahmin caste in ancient India, often associated with scholars, priests, and intellectuals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalup can be found in the Mahabharata, the epic Sanskrit poem composed between the 8th and 4th centuries BCE. In this text, Kalup is mentioned as the name of a sage who imparted wisdom and guidance to the Pandava princes.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kalup. One of the most famous was Kalup Bhatt (1148-1224), a renowned Indian mathematician and astronomer who made significant contributions to the field of trigonometry and calculus.
Another prominent figure was Kalup Chandra Bhattacharya (1838-1914), a Bengali writer, and social reformer who played a crucial role in the Bengal Renaissance movement of the 19th century.
In the realm of spirituality, Kalup Sahib (1663-1734) was a revered Sikh saint and poet known for his devotional compositions and teachings on divine love and service.
During the Indian independence movement, Kalup Chandra Dey (1896-1975) was a prominent Bengali revolutionary who fought against British colonial rule and served as a member of the Indian National Congress.
More recently, Kalup Linzer (born 1977) is an American contemporary artist known for his unique blend of video art, performance, and social commentary, often exploring themes of identity and cultural representation.
While the name Kalup has its roots in ancient India, it has transcended cultural boundaries and gained recognition across various regions and time periods, with individuals bearing this name leaving their mark in various fields, from mathematics and literature to spirituality and social activism.
People
Kalup + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalup 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
Kalup: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalup?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalup 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Kalup a common name?
We classify Kalup as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 74 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalup most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalup was 2002, when 9 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalup is about 29 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 Kalup in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalup a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalup 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 Kalup still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalup 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 Kalup 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 Kalup?
Find out how many Americans are named Kalup on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.