Girl · #4,584 in 2026

Kaela

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

Kaela is the first album released by Japanese pop singer Kaela Kimura. It was released on December 8, 2004, and peaked at number seven on the Japanese charts. It features the singles, "Level 42" and "Happiness!!!". "Level 42" peaked at number fourteen on the Japan Oricon singles chart.

Current Rank

#4,584

Peak Rank

#648 (1996)

Total Babies

5-Yr Trend

+36%

1967

First Year

2026

Last Year

1996

Peak Year

#648

Peak Rank

Total Count

Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kaela

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

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

The Story of Kaela

Kaela first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1967, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1996, when 345 Kaelas were born — ranking #648 that year. As of 2026, Kaela ranks #4,584 for baby girls with 30 births, rising sharply (+36% over the past five years). In total, more than 6K Kaelas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1960s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

Top 10

11-50

51-100

101-500

500+

No data

Names that sound like Kaela

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

Cla
Kla
Klugh
Kholah
Chla
Clue
Clay
Claw
Clow
Cloe
Clea
Cloy

Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.

Frequently Asked Questions about Kaela

What does the name Kaela mean?

How popular is Kaela in 2026?

In 2026, Kaela ranks #4,584 among girls' names in the U.S., with 30 babies given the name that year.

When was Kaela most popular?

Kaela reached its peak popularity in 1996, ranking #648 that year with 345 babies given the name.

In which U.S. states is Kaela most popular?

Kaela has historically been most popular in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Hawaii. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kaela.

Is Kaela a unisex name?

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

What names go well with Kaela?

Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kaela include Frida, Rayna, Adyson. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kaela

Kaela is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1967 and has accumulated 6K births in the dataset. Kaela's peak popularity came in 1996 when it ranked #648. Use the chart and map above to compare Kaela'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.