Kale
Kale was the 7419th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 504th with 544 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6,322 places. More babies were named Kale in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kael) Origin not documented
- Rank in 2025
- #7,419 boys, down 3,338 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 11boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2008544 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,605babies recorded
What does the name Kale mean?
Kale is a spelling of Kael, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kael's meaning and origin.
Kael has no settled origin in the dictionaries we checked, and Wiktionary has no entry for it as a given name. Wikipedia describes it as Irish, from caol 'slender', and connects it with Kellen, but cites no source; caol is a real Irish word meaning 'thin, slender', but no Irish personal name Kael is recorded in our references. It is best treated as a modern name of undocumented origin.
How sure is this? Not documented. The Irish 'slender' explanation is unsourced and unconfirmed.
Other explanations you may read: Irish, from caol 'slender'.
Sources for this meaning
- Wikipedia, 'Kael', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Wiktionary, entry 'caol' (Irish section), Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
- CMU Pronouncing Dictionary (cmudict), Carnegie Mellon University
Kale popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 226 since 1979.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #7,419 | 11 |
| 2020 | #4,081 | 25 |
| 2010 | #591 | 423 |
| 2000 | #990 | 150 |
| 1990 | #1,021 | 108 |
| 1980 | #1,455 | 43 |
| 1970 | #1,640 | 28 |
| 1960 | #2,970 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kale, counting every spelling?
Kale is a spelling of Kael, a name family that ranked #659 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #7,419 for Kale on its own. Together these spellings went to 407 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kael | 263 | #903 | 622 |
| Cael | 79 | #1,945 | 263 |
| Cale | 47 | #2,722 | 192 |
| Kale | 11 | #7,419 | 93 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Kale?
11 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kale (0.00 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kale born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 750 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kale.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kale?
About 7,100 people born in the US named Kale are alive today, with a median age of 19; half are between 16 and 30. That makes Kale mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kale: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kale, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kale
How popular is the name Kale?
Kale was the 7419th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 11 babies. Its best year was 2008, when it ranked 504th with 544 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 6,322 places. More babies were named Kale in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Kale a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kale in the US.