Kayal
A feminine name of Tamil origin meaning "lake or lagoon".
Name Census estimates that about 153 living Americans carry the first name Kayal. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kayal today is around 12 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kayal births was 2017 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kayal. 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 Kayal with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
153
~ 1 in 2,240,224 Americans
Peak year
2017
15 babies that year
Average age
12
years old
2023 SSA rank
#12,784
Tracked since 1988
Popularity
Kayal: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kayal 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 95 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kayal remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kayal 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 Kayal during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kayals live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kayal
The name Kayal is believed to have originated from the Tamil language, which is one of the oldest classical languages in the world. It is widely spoken in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu and parts of Sri Lanka. The name is derived from the Tamil word "kaayal," which means "backwater" or "lagoon."
Kayal is a unisex name, and its origins can be traced back to ancient Tamil literature and inscriptions. One of the earliest references to the name can be found in the Sangam literature, a collection of Tamil literary works that date back to the early centuries of the Common Era. In these texts, the name is often associated with characters who lived near bodies of water or coastal regions.
One of the most notable historical figures with the name Kayal is Kayal Vizhundhar, a Tamil poet and scholar who lived during the 7th century CE. He is renowned for his contribution to Tamil literature and his work in preserving the language's rich heritage. Another notable figure is Kayal Aravindhan, a Tamil philosopher and spiritual leader from the 9th century CE, known for his teachings on ethics and morality.
In the realm of religion, the name Kayal is linked to certain Hindu deities and mythological figures. For instance, in some Hindu texts, the name is associated with the goddess Kaalindhi, who is considered the personification of the river Yamuna.
Moving forward in history, one can find several individuals with the name Kayal who have made significant contributions in various fields. Kayal Rani Devi (1858-1941) was a prominent Indian social reformer and educator who played a crucial role in promoting women's education and empowerment in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Kayal Vishwanathan (1920-2018) was an acclaimed Indian classical dancer and choreographer. She was a pioneer in the field of Bharatanatyam, a major form of Indian classical dance, and her contributions helped in preserving and promoting this art form on a global scale.
Another notable figure is Kayal Vijayan (born 1944), a renowned Indian writer and journalist who has received numerous awards and accolades for his literary works in Malayalam, including novels, short stories, and essays.
While these are just a few examples, the name Kayal has been carried by individuals across various regions, cultures, and time periods, each leaving their mark on history through their accomplishments and contributions to society.
People
Kayal + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kayal 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
Kayal: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kayal?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 153 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kayal 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 2,240,224 US residents.
Is Kayal a common name?
We classify Kayal as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 155 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kayal most popular?
The single biggest year for Kayal was 2017, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kayal is about 12 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 Kayal in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kayal a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kayal 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 Kayal still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kayal 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 Kayal 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 have Kayal as a first name?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.