Kala
Kala is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
- Tamil
- Hawaiian
Meaning & Origin of Kala
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kala is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Tamil
- Hawaiian
The Story of Kala
The earliest SSA record of Kala as a baby girl name dates back to 1943, when 7 babies received it. 1989 was its biggest year on record, with 525 newborns named Kala — #462 in the national rankings. About 39% of every Kala on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. As of 2026, Kala ranks #8,455 for baby girls with 11 births, falling sharply (-34%). All told, over 8K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1940s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kala
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kala 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 Kala
What does the name Kala mean?
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How popular is Kala in 2026?
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In which U.S. states is Kala most popular?
Is Kala a unisex name?
What names go well with Kala?
About the name Kala
Kala is a girl baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1943 and has accumulated 8K births in the dataset. Kala's peak popularity came in 1989 when it ranked #462. Use the chart and map above to compare Kala's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1989 →
- Names of the 1980s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
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.