Kelaya
A feminine name deriving from Sanskrit meaning "beloved" or "shining".
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the first name Kelaya. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kelaya today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kelaya births was 2022 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kelaya. 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
134
~ 1 in 2,557,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
22 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,217
Tracked since 2002
Popularity
Kelaya: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kelaya from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 81 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kelaya 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 Kelaya 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 Kelaya
The name Kelaya is believed to have its origins in the ancient Sanskrit language, which was the classical language of the Indian subcontinent. It is likely derived from the Sanskrit word "kalaa," meaning "art" or "skill," suggesting that the name may have been given to individuals who were skilled artisans or craftspeople.
Kelaya can be traced back to ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Vedas and the Puranas, where it was used as a personal name. In these texts, the name is often associated with deities or mythological figures who were revered for their artistic abilities or creative prowess.
One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Kelaya can be found in the Mahabharata, a renowned Sanskrit epic that dates back to around the 8th century BCE. In this epic, Kelaya is mentioned as the name of a skilled archer and warrior who fought alongside the Pandavas in the legendary Kurukshetra War.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Kelaya. One such person was Kelaya Nayaka (1512-1565), a powerful ruler and military commander from the Vijayanagara Empire in southern India. He was known for his patronage of the arts and architecture, and his reign saw the construction of numerous temples and monuments.
Another famous Kelaya was the Indian classical musician and composer Kelaya Devi (1670-1740), who was renowned for her expertise in the Dhrupad style of Hindustani classical music. Her compositions and teachings had a profound influence on the development of this musical tradition.
In the field of literature, Kelaya Sharma (1820-1895) was a renowned Sanskrit scholar and poet from the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. He authored several works on grammar, poetry, and Sanskrit literature, and his contributions helped preserve and promote the rich literary heritage of the Sanskrit language.
Kelaya Nambiar (1880-1956) was a celebrated Indian dancer and choreographer from the southern state of Kerala. She played a significant role in reviving and popularizing the classical dance form of Kathakali, which had been in decline during the 19th century.
Lastly, Kelaya Khandekar (1915-1998) was a prominent Indian painter and sculptor, known for her vibrant and colorful depictions of rural life and landscapes. Her works have been exhibited in numerous galleries and museums around the world, and she is celebrated as one of the leading artists of the modern Indian art movement.
People
Kelaya + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kelaya 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
Kelaya: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kelaya?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 134 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kelaya 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 2,557,868 US residents.
Is Kelaya a common name?
We classify Kelaya as "Very Rare". It ranks above 68.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 135 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kelaya most popular?
The single biggest year for Kelaya was 2022, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kelaya is about 7 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 Kelaya in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kelaya a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kelaya 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 Kelaya still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kelaya 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 Kelaya 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 called Kelaya?
You can see how many people share the name Kelaya on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.