Kalyl
A name of unclear origin and meaning, though some interpret it as a variant of the Arabic name "Khalil" meaning "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Kalyl. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kalyl today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalyl births was 2002 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalyl. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Kalyl. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2002
6 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2002 SSA rank
#10,041
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Kalyl: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalyl 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 Kalyl during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalyl
The name Kalyl originates from the ancient Sumerian language, which was spoken in the region of Mesopotamia (modern-day Iraq) around 3500 BC. It is derived from the Sumerian word "kalil," which means "precious" or "valuable." The earliest known written record of the name dates back to around 2500 BC, where it was found inscribed on a clay tablet in the city of Uruk.
In ancient Sumerian mythology, Kalyl was the name of a minor deity associated with wealth and prosperity. This association likely contributed to the name's popularity among the upper classes of Sumerian society, who would often give their children names related to wealth and status.
The name Kalyl later spread to neighboring regions and cultures, including the Akkadian Empire and the Babylonian civilization. In the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known literary works from ancient Mesopotamia, there is a character named Kalyl who serves as a wise advisor to the protagonist, Gilgamesh.
Throughout history, the name Kalyl has been borne by several notable individuals. One of the earliest was Kalyl of Ur, a wealthy merchant and landowner who lived in the city of Ur during the 6th century BC. Another was Kalyl ibn al-Husayn, a renowned Arab philosopher and mathematician who lived in Baghdad during the 9th century AD.
In the medieval period, Kalyl was a relatively common name among the nobility and ruling classes of various Islamic empires. One notable figure was Kalyl ibn al-Walid, a military commander who served under the Umayyad Caliphate in the 7th century AD. Another was Kalyl al-Din, a Kurdish ruler who governed parts of modern-day Iran and Iraq in the 12th century AD.
During the Renaissance period, the name Kalyl gained some popularity in Europe, particularly in Italy and Spain. One notable figure from this time was Kalyl da Vinci, an Italian painter and sculptor who was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and is believed to have worked on some of the frescoes in the Vatican.
In more recent centuries, the name Kalyl has been less common, but it has still been borne by a few notable individuals. One was Kalyl Pasha, an Ottoman statesman and diplomat who served as the Grand Vizier (prime minister) of the Ottoman Empire in the late 19th century. Another was Kalyl Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer and philosopher who lived from 1883 to 1931 and is best known for his book "The Prophet."
People
Kalyl + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalyl 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
Kalyl: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalyl?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalyl 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 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Kalyl a common name?
We classify Kalyl as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalyl most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalyl was 2002, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalyl is about 24 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 Kalyl in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalyl a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalyl 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 Kalyl still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalyl 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 Kalyl 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 common is the name Kalyl?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Kalyl at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.