Kameelah
A feminine Arabic name meaning "perfection" or "completeness".
Name Census estimates that about 442 living Americans carry the first name Kameelah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kameelah today is around 31 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kameelah births was 1977 (43 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kameelah. 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
442
~ 1 in 775,462 Americans
Peak year
1977
43 babies that year
Average age
31
years old
2024 SSA rank
#16,366
Tracked since 1976
Popularity
Kameelah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kameelah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 115 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 1970s peak, Kameelah remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kameelah 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 Kameelah during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kameelahs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Illinois, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Kameelah, while Pennsylvania, Illinois, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 16 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kameelah
The name Kameelah is derived from the Arabic language and has its origins in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is a feminine name meaning "perfection" or "complete" and is rooted in the Arabic word "kamaal," which signifies completeness or perfection.
The name Kameelah is believed to have been in use since ancient times, though its precise origins are uncertain. It is possible that the name was mentioned in early Arabic literary works or religious texts, though specific references are difficult to pinpoint with certainty.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kameelah can be found in the 11th century, when it was borne by Kameelah bint al-Muqtadir, a princess and daughter of the Abbasid caliph Al-Muqtadir. She lived from 995 to 1024 CE and was known for her intelligence and literary talents.
Another notable figure was Kameelah al-Fihri, a Muslim woman from the 9th century who founded the oldest continuously operating university in the world, the University of Al-Karaouine in Fez, Morocco. Her contributions to education and her dedication to the pursuit of knowledge have made her a celebrated figure in Islamic history.
In the 13th century, Kameelah bint Abi al-Qasim al-Baghdadi was a renowned scholar and poet from Baghdad. She was celebrated for her mastery of Arabic literature and her poetry, which explored themes of love and spirituality.
During the Ottoman Empire, Kameelah Sultan was a prominent figure in the 16th century. She was the daughter of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and played an influential role in the court and politics of the time.
In more recent history, Kameelah Janan Rasheed is an American artist and educator who was born in 1985. Her multidisciplinary work explores themes of language, identity, and social justice, and she has been widely recognized for her contributions to contemporary art.
While these are just a few examples, the name Kameelah has been borne by many remarkable individuals throughout history, each leaving their mark in their respective fields and contributing to the richness of the cultural heritage associated with this beautiful name.
People
Kameelah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kameelah 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
Kameelah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kameelah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 442 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kameelah 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 775,462 US residents.
Is Kameelah a common name?
We classify Kameelah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 462 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kameelah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kameelah was 1977, when 43 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kameelah is about 31 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kameelah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kameelah 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.
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.