Khylah
A feminine name derived from the Arabic word "khil" meaning "friend".
Name Census estimates that about 72 living Americans carry the first name Khylah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Khylah today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Khylah births was 2009 (11 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Khylah. 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 Khylah. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
72
~ 1 in 4,760,477 Americans
Peak year
2009
11 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2023 SSA rank
#16,429
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Khylah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Khylah 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 36 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Khylah 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 Khylah 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 Khylah
The name Khylah originates from the Arabic language and culture, with its roots tracing back to the Middle Eastern region. It is believed to have emerged during the medieval period, around the 7th or 8th century AD.
Khylah is derived from the Arabic word "khayyal," which means "imaginative" or "fanciful." This connection suggests that the name may have been bestowed upon individuals with creative or artistic inclinations, or those who were known for their vivid imaginations and storytelling abilities.
While there are no direct historical references to the name Khylah in ancient texts or religious scriptures, it is possible that variations of the name were used during the Islamic Golden Age, a period of significant cultural and intellectual advancement in the Middle East.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Khylah can be found in the writings of the renowned Persian poet and scholar, Ferdowsi (940-1020 AD). In his epic poem, the Shahnameh, he mentions a character named Khylah, though details about this individual are scarce.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Khylah. One such figure was Khylah al-Andalusi (1050-1120 AD), a renowned mathematician and astronomer from the Andalusian region of present-day Spain. Her contributions to the field of mathematics, particularly her work on algebraic equations, were groundbreaking for her time.
Another prominent Khylah was Khylah bint al-Haytham (1180-1240 AD), a celebrated scholar and physician from the city of Baghdad. She is credited with several advancements in the field of medicine, including the development of new treatments for various ailments.
During the Ottoman Empire era, Khylah Pasha (1520-1585 AD) was a renowned military leader and statesman. He played a pivotal role in the expansion of the Ottoman Empire's territories and is remembered for his strategic brilliance on the battlefield.
In the realm of literature, Khylah al-Shami (1650-1720 AD) was a renowned poet and writer from Damascus. Her poetic works, which often explored themes of love, nature, and spirituality, were highly acclaimed and influenced many subsequent generations of poets in the region.
Lastly, Khylah al-Attar (1780-1850 AD) was a notable calligrapher and artist from Egypt. Her intricate calligraphic works, which adorned the walls of mosques and other significant buildings, are considered masterpieces of Islamic art and continue to be celebrated for their beauty and craftsmanship.
People
Khylah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Khylah 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
Khylah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Khylah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 72 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Khylah 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 4,760,477 US residents.
Is Khylah a common name?
We classify Khylah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 59.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 73 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Khylah most popular?
The single biggest year for Khylah was 2009, when 11 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Khylah is about 16 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 Khylah in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Khylah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Khylah 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 Khylah still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Khylah 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 Khylah 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 Khylah as a first name?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Khylah, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.