Kalayah
Girl name · #1620 in 2025 · Uniqueness 58/100
Kalayah is currently the #1620 girl name in the United States — 129 babies received it in 2025. A decade ago it stood at #3389, so the name has been rising over the past ten years. Roughly one in every 13,953 girls born in 2025 was named Kalayah.
Babies named Kalayah per year, 1880–2025. Source: SSA.
The 27-year story
Kalayah first appears in the Social Security records in 1998, when 7 girls received the name. Its all-time peak is essentially right now: 2024, with 140 babies and a rank of #1529. Names at their peak can keep climbing — or be one trend cycle from the long slide that eventually hits most popular names. Following the curve matters more than today's snapshot: a name's position on its rise-peak-decline arc is the best predictor of how common it will feel in a kindergarten class five years from now.
Unlock the 5-year forecast and compare Kalayah against up to 5 other names.
Uniqueness: will there be another Kalayah in class?
Kalayah scores 58 out of 100 on our uniqueness scale, which blends current rarity with five-year momentum — putting it in the "distinctive" band. That middle band is the sweet spot many parents hunt for: recognizable without being everywhere.
Where Kalayah is most common
Geography matters for names, and Kalayah is no exception. In 2025 the states with the most Kalayahs were NC (15), FL (12), OH (12), CA (9), SC (7). Raw counts naturally favor populous states, but the spread still hints at where the name is part of the local naming culture.
Names like Kalayah
Statistically, parents drawn to Kalayah tend to be choosing among names with similar popularity arcs, era profiles, and sounds — the closest matches in our model are Alaiyah, Zaliyah, Inayah, Kamiyah, and Jalayah.
AlaiyahZaliyahInayahKamiyahJalayahZalayahRayahAnaliyah
Rank history (last 25 years)
| Year | Babies named Kalayah | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 129 | #1611 |
| 2024 | 140 | #1529 |
| 2023 | 117 | #1750 |
| 2022 | 124 | #1684 |
| 2021 | 115 | #1768 |
| 2020 | 99 | #1924 |
| 2019 | 76 | #2355 |
| 2018 | 60 | #2810 |
| 2017 | 67 | #2597 |
| 2016 | 55 | #3010 |
| 2015 | 47 | #3389 |
| 2014 | 59 | #2888 |
| 2013 | 54 | #3042 |
| 2012 | 41 | #3782 |
| 2011 | 26 | #5207 |
| 2010 | 42 | #3689 |
| 2009 | 35 | #4269 |
| 2008 | 28 | #5142 |
| 2007 | 26 | #5377 |
| 2006 | 29 | #4811 |
| 2005 | 15 | #7500 |
| 2004 | 13 | #8259 |
| 2003 | 15 | #7207 |
| 2002 | 14 | #7444 |
| 2000 | 9 | #9874 |
Frequently asked questions
Is Kalayah a popular girl name?
Kalayah ranked #1620 among girls in 2025 with 129 babies given the name — outside the top 500, making it an uncommon pick. Ten years earlier it ranked #3389.
When was the name Kalayah most popular?
Kalayah peaked in 2024, when 140 American girls received the name (ranked #1529 that year). That peak is current — the name is at or near its all-time high right now.
How rare is the name Kalayah?
In 2025, roughly 1 in 13,953 newborn American girls was named Kalayah. It scores 58/100 on our uniqueness scale (rarity blended with momentum), which we classify as "distinctive".
Data source: U.S. Social Security Administration name statistics, 1880–2025, national and state files. Counts reflect Social Security card applications; names with fewer than 5 occurrences in a state-year are suppressed by the SSA.