Girl · #6,100 in 2026

Calah

Name: Popularity of the name Calah in U.S. births, 1880–2026
Creator: U.S. Social Security Administration
License: https://www.ssa.gov/foia/
Keywords: Calah, baby name, popularity, U.S., SSA, rankings

Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city located in Iraq, 30 kilometres (20 mi) south of the city of Mosul, and 5 kilometres (3 mi) south of the village of Selamiyah, in the Nineveh Plains in Upper Mesopotamia. It was a major Assyrian city between approximately 1350 BC and 610 BC.

Current Rank

#6,100

Peak Rank

#4,239 (2000)

Total Babies

574

5-Yr Trend

+232%

1981

First Year

2026

Last Year

2000

Peak Year

#4239

Peak Rank

574

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Calah

What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.

Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →

Origin & history

History Artist’s impression of Assyrian palaces from The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853 Artist’s impression of a hall in an Assyrian palace from The Monuments of Nineveh by Sir Austen Henry Layard, 1853 Plan of Nimrud, by Felix Jones bef. 1920 The area excavated in the 19th century is labeled A-E. On the bottom right is Fort Shalmaneser, excavated in the mid-20th century. Situated on a major commercial path connecting Ashur and Nineveh, Calah (later called Nimrud) occupied a strategically advantageous position. Its origins were in a trading settlement established under S

The Story of Calah

Calah first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1981, with 6 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2000, when 25 Calahs were born — ranking #4,649 that year. As of 2026, Calah ranks #6,100 for baby girls with 19 births, rising sharply (+232% over the past five years). In total, more than 574 Calahs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1980s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Calah

Phonetically similar names — useful when Calah is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Calah

What does the name Calah mean?

How popular is Calah in 2026?

In 2026, Calah ranks #6,100 among girls' names in the U.S., with 19 babies given the name that year.

When was Calah most popular?

Calah reached its peak popularity in 2000, ranking #4,239 that year with 25 babies given the name.

Is Calah a unisex name?

In U.S. Social Security records, Calah is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.

What names go well with Calah?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Calah include Oscar, Sheldon, Annessa. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Calah

Calah is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1981 and has accumulated 574 births in the dataset. Calah's peak popularity came in 2000 when it ranked #4,239. Use the chart and map above to compare Calah's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.

Continue exploring

Data sources

Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .

Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.