Khalil
Khalil was the 384th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 826 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 251st; the most babies were born in 2020 (1,233). Over the last ten years it has moved up 95 places. More babies were named Khalil in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning friend · Arabic
Say it kuh-LEEL /kəˈlil/
- Rank in 2025
- #384 boys, down 110 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 826boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20201,233 babies
- Total since 1880
- 25,203babies recorded
What does the name Khalil mean?
Khalil is an Arabic name meaning "friend", from khalīl, "close friend". It recalls the Islamic title of Abraham, Khalil Allah, "friend of God", based on the Quran's statement that God took Abraham as a khalīl (4:125), which also gives Hebron its Arabic name, al-Khalil. It is used across the Muslim world and among African American families; the poet Kahlil Gibran used a variant spelling.
خَلِيل (Arabic, “friend, close companion”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Kahlil, Khalilah.
See also: Arabic names, names that mean love.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Khalil', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Qur'an 4:125, Arabic text with word-by-word translation (quran.com), Quran.com
Khalil popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 182 since 1979.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #384 | 826 |
| 2020 | #274 | 1,233 |
| 2010 | #501 | 516 |
| 2000 | #404 | 619 |
| 1990 | #852 | 144 |
| 1980 | #1,052 | 74 |
| 1970 | #2,986 | 11 |
| 1960 | #3,505 | 7 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Khalil, counting every spelling?
Khalil is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #383 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #384 for Khalil on its own. Together these spellings went to 862 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khalil | 826 | #384 | 4,878 |
| Kalil | 18 | #5,309 | 102 |
| Kaleel | 13 | #6,637 | 50 |
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 Khalil?
826 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Khalil (0.23 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Khalil 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 10 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Khalil.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Khalil?
About 24,600 people born in the US named Khalil are alive today, with a median age of 15; half are between 7 and 26. That makes Khalil 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.
Khalil by state
How common Khalil was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in District of Columbia (3.6×), Mississippi (3.4×), Louisiana (3.3×), South Carolina (2.6×), Georgia (2.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Utah, Oregon, Nebraska.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Khalil: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Khalil, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Khalil · Sibling names for Khalil
Questions about the name Khalil
What does Khalil mean?
Khalil means “friend” (Arabic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Khalil?
Khalil was the 384th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 826 babies. Its best year was 1995, when it ranked 251st; the most babies were born in 2020 (1,233). Over the last ten years it has moved up 95 places. More babies were named Khalil in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Khalil a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Khalil in the US.
Where is Khalil most popular?
In 2021–2025, Khalil was most common in District of Columbia (2.03 per 1,000 boys), followed by Mississippi and Louisiana.