Find out how popular the last name Kayalı is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Kayalı.

Kayalı, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Kayalı surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Kayalı in America

Kayalı is the 95115th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Kayalı surname appeared 192 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Kayalı.

We can also compare 2010 data for Kayalı to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Kayalı

The surname Kayali is believed to have originated in the Middle East, specifically in Syria and Lebanon. It is an Arabic surname derived from the word "qawali," which means "storyteller" or "reciter of poetry." The earliest known records of this surname date back to the 12th century.

During the medieval period, storytellers and poets were highly regarded in Arab societies, and they often traveled from town to town, reciting poetry and tales. It is possible that the Kayali surname was initially given to those who practiced this profession, and it later became a hereditary family name.

One of the earliest notable individuals with the surname Kayali was Abu Bakr al-Kayali, a renowned poet and scholar who lived in Damascus in the late 12th century. His works were widely celebrated and preserved in various manuscripts from that era.

In the 14th century, the name appears in historical records from the city of Aleppo, where a family of Kayalis held prominent positions in the local administration. One member, Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Kayali, served as the governor of Aleppo in the 1360s.

During the Ottoman Empire's rule over the region, the Kayali surname continued to be associated with literary and scholarly pursuits. In the 16th century, a man named Mustafa al-Kayali was renowned for his expertise in Islamic jurisprudence and served as a judge in various cities across the Ottoman territories.

Another notable figure was Hasan al-Kayali, a 17th-century poet and calligrapher from Beirut. His works were highly praised, and his calligraphic pieces adorned the walls of mosques and palaces throughout the region.

In the 19th century, the Kayali surname gained further prominence with the birth of Khalil al-Kayali, a renowned Syrian politician and statesman. He played a pivotal role in the independence movement against French colonial rule and served as the first Prime Minister of Syria after the country gained its independence in 1946.

Over the centuries, the Kayali surname has also been associated with various place names in the Middle East, such as Kayali Village in northern Syria and the town of Kayali in southern Lebanon. These place names may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname in different regions.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Kayalı

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Kayalı.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Kayalı was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Kayalı has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Kayalı was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Kayalı, please contact us.

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