Kaylum
A unisex name of American origin, referring to elements of nature.
Name Census estimates that about 148 living Americans carry the first name Kaylum. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaylum today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaylum births was 2022 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaylum. 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 Kaylum with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
148
~ 1 in 2,315,908 Americans
Peak year
2022
13 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2023 SSA rank
#13,215
Tracked since 1997
Popularity
Kaylum: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaylum from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 78 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kaylum remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaylum 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 Kaylum 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 Kaylum
The name Kaylum is believed to have its origins in the ancient Celtic language, which was spoken by various tribes and communities across Western Europe during the Iron Age and Roman era. The name is thought to be derived from the Proto-Celtic root "kal," meaning "hard" or "fierce," possibly indicating a warrior-like quality or a strong, resilient nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaylum can be found in the writings of the medieval Welsh historian and monk, Nennius, who lived in the 9th century AD. In his work, the Historia Brittonum, Nennius mentions a figure named Kaylum ap Geraint, a chieftain of the Demetae tribe in what is now southwestern Wales.
During the Middle Ages, the name Kaylum was particularly prevalent among the Celtic populations of Scotland and Ireland. In the 12th century, a Scottish nobleman named Kaylum mac Gillebride was recorded as a signatory to the Inquest of David I, a legal document pertaining to the lands and possessions of the Scottish monarchy.
In Irish medieval literature, the name Kaylum appears in the form of Cailum, often associated with figures of legendary or mythical significance. One notable example is Cailum mac Aedha, a warrior-poet from the 11th century who is celebrated in the Irish bardic tradition for his heroic deeds and poetic prowess.
As the centuries progressed, the name Kaylum continued to be used, albeit with varying spellings and pronunciations, across various parts of the British Isles and beyond. Notable historical figures bearing the name include:
1. Kaylum Drummond (1585-1648), a Scottish soldier and nobleman who fought in the Thirty Years' War and served as a Colonel in the Swedish army.
2. Kaylum O'Conor (1670-1726), an Irish Jacobite and soldier who fought in the Battle of the Boyne and later became a member of the French Parliament.
3. Kaylum Campbell (1720-1796), a Scottish explorer and fur trader who played a significant role in the early exploration and settlement of the Canadian Northwest.
4. Kaylum MacDonald (1810-1891), a prominent Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made substantial contributions to the city of Glasgow.
5. Kaylum O'Byrne (1865-1935), an Irish nationalist and Member of Parliament who advocated for Irish independence and was involved in the Easter Rising of 1916.
While the name Kaylum has maintained a certain level of popularity throughout its long history, particularly in regions with strong Celtic cultural influences, its usage has ebbed and flowed over time, reflecting the cultural and linguistic shifts that have shaped the various societies in which it has been found.
People
Kaylum + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaylum 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
Kaylum: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaylum?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 148 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaylum 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 2,315,908 US residents.
Is Kaylum a common name?
We classify Kaylum as "Very Rare". It ranks above 70.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 149 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaylum most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaylum was 2022, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaylum is about 13 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 Kaylum in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaylum a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaylum 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 Kaylum still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaylum 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 Kaylum 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 Kaylum as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Kaylum, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.