Kaliyah
Kaliyah was the 392nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 791 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 151 places. More babies were named Kaliyah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning Origin not documented
Say it kuh-LY-uh /kəˈlaɪə/
- Rank in 2025
- #392 girls, up 172 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 791girls
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a girl’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025791 babies
- Total since 1880
- 12,951babies recorded
What does the name Kaliyah mean?
Kaliyah is a modern American girl's name. Wiktionary lists it as a female given name without an etymology. It resembles Kalia and Kaylee, the Hindu goddess name Kali, and names ending in -iyah such as Aaliyah, but no source consulted documents how it was formed, so no meaning is given.
How sure is this? Not documented. Undocumented modern name.
Related names: Kalia, Aaliyah, Kaylee.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Kaliyah', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (usage history only), US Social Security Administration
Kaliyah popularity since 1880
A few boys are given the name too: 5 since 2004.
| Year | Rank (girls) | Babies (girls) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #392 | 791 |
| 2020 | #564 | 522 |
| 2010 | #572 | 511 |
| 2000 | #1,609 | 110 |
| 1990 | — | — |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | — | — |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaliyah, counting every spelling?
Kaliyah is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #334 for girls in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #392 for Kaliyah on its own. Together these spellings went to 982 girls in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaliyah | 791 | #392 | 3,140 |
| Caliyah | 96 | #1,992 | 442 |
| Kaliya | 61 | #2,795 | 217 |
| Kaaliyah | 24 | #5,314 | 75 |
| Caliya | 10 | #9,576 | 43 |
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 Kaliyah?
791 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaliyah (0.22 per 1,000 births). For a girl named Kaliyah 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 11 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaliyah.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaliyah?
About 12,800 people born in the US named Kaliyah are alive today, with a median age of 12; half are between 6 and 18. That makes Kaliyah a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Kaliyah by state
How common Kaliyah was among girls born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (4.7×), South Carolina (2.4×), Alabama (2.4×), New Mexico (2.2×), Louisiana (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Iowa, Utah, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaliyah: their share of US girls followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaliyah, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Kaliyah · Sibling names for Kaliyah
Questions about the name Kaliyah
How popular is the name Kaliyah?
Kaliyah was the 392nd most popular name for girls in 2025, given to 791 babies. That is its highest rank since records began in 1880. Over the last ten years it has moved up 151 places. More babies were named Kaliyah in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kaliyah a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a girl’s name given the name Kaliyah in the US.
Where is Kaliyah most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaliyah was most common in Mississippi (1.82 per 1,000 girls), followed by South Carolina and Alabama.