Kaleah
Kaleah was the 1425th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 152 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 1040th with 239 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 251 places. More babies were named Kaleah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Kali) the black one (Hindu goddess); also a pet form of Katalin · Sanskrit, Hungarian, American English
- Rank in 2025
- #1,425 girls, down 10 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 152girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2013239 babies
- Total since 1880
- 4,439babies recorded
What does the name Kaleah mean?
Kaleah is a spelling of Kali, pronounced the same way, so it shares Kali's meaning and origin.
Kali has several separate sources. In Sanskrit, Kālī is the name of the Hindu goddess, the feminine of kāla, "black" (also "time"); Wiktionary lists it as a given name used especially in India. Yonge's 1884 index records Kali as a Hungarian pet form of Katalin (Catherine). In the US it is also used as a spelling of Callie. Which source applies depends on the family.
काली (Sanskrit, “the black one; name of a goddess”)
How sure is this? Probable. Several unrelated sources share the spelling.
Related names: Callie, Kaley, Kalika.
See also: Sanskrit and Indian names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kali', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Charlotte M. Yonge, History of Christian Names, new ed. (1884), index s.v. 'Kali' (19th-century work; used for dated usage facts only), Macmillan (public domain; Internet Archive scan)
- Dictionary.com Unabridged (based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary), with Collins English Dictionary, s.v. 'Kali', Dictionary.com / Random House / HarperCollins
Kaleah popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,425 | 152 |
| 2020 | #1,415 | 155 |
| 2010 | #1,208 | 200 |
| 2000 | #3,137 | 44 |
| 1990 | #5,965 | 15 |
| 1980 | #7,046 | 9 |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaleah, counting every spelling?
Kaleah is a spelling of Kali, a name family that ranked #187 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #1,425 for Kaleah on its own. Together these spellings went to 1,846 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kali | 948 | #323 | 5,444 |
| Cali | 518 | #574 | 3,636 |
| Kaleah | 152 | #1,425 | 868 |
| Kalea | 185 | #1,224 | 800 |
| Caleah | 32 | #4,374 | 146 |
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 Kaleah?
152 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaleah (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kaleah 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 55 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaleah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaleah?
About 4,400 people born in the US named Kaleah are alive today, with a median age of 13; half are between 7 and 18. That makes Kaleah 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.
Kaleah by state
How common Kaleah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Florida (1.6×). In 32 states fewer than five girls a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaleah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaleah, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kaleah
What does Kaleah mean?
Kaleah is a spelling of Kali, which means “the black one (Hindu goddess); also a pet form of Katalin” (Sanskrit, Hungarian, American English origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kaleah?
Kaleah was the 1425th most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 152 babies. Its best year was 2013, when it ranked 1040th with 239 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 251 places. More babies were named Kaleah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kaleah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kaleah in the US.
Where is Kaleah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaleah was most common in Mississippi (0.21 per 1,000 girls), followed by Alabama and Florida.