Kilah
A feminine name of unknown origin, possibly meaning "beautiful" or "crown".
Name Census estimates that about 432 living Americans carry the first name Kilah. The name is used almost exclusively for girls. The average person named Kilah today is around 20 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kilah births was 2009 (22 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kilah. 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
432
~ 1 in 793,413 Americans
Peak year
2009
22 babies that year
Average age
20
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,228
Tracked since 1979
Popularity
Kilah: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kilah from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 170 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kilah 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 Kilah 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 Kilah
The name Kilah originates from the Hebrew language and culture, with its roots dating back to ancient times. It is believed to be a variant spelling or diminutive form of the Hebrew name Keziah, which means "cassia" – a type of aromatic spice plant.
One of the earliest references to the name Keziah can be found in the Biblical book of Job, where it is mentioned as the name of one of Job's daughters. This suggests that the name has been in use for several millennia, possibly since the time of the ancient Israelites.
In terms of historical figures bearing the name Kilah, records are scarce. However, there are a few notable individuals worth mentioning. The first is Kilah van der Merwe, a South African singer and songwriter born in 1988, known for her work in the Afrikaans music industry.
Another prominent figure is Kilah Davenport, an American actress and model born in 1989, who has appeared in several television shows and movies, including the hit series "Shameless" and the film "Monogamy."
Moving back in time, there is a record of a Kilah Middleton, an English woman who lived in the late 17th century and was one of the early settlers in the British colony of Virginia. She arrived in the New World in 1683 and is mentioned in historical documents related to land grants and property records.
In the realm of literature, there is a character named Kilah in the novel "The Bone Doll's Twin" by Lynn Flewelling, published in 2001. Although a fictional character, this provides an example of the name's usage in modern times.
Lastly, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kilah can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Beverley, Yorkshire, England, where a Kilah Wilkinson was baptized in 1617. This serves as evidence of the name's existence and use in 17th-century England.
People
Kilah + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kilah 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
Kilah: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kilah?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 432 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kilah 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 793,413 US residents.
Is Kilah a common name?
We classify Kilah as "Very Rare". It ranks above 83.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 440 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kilah most popular?
The single biggest year for Kilah was 2009, when 22 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kilah is about 20 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Kilah a female name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kilah 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.