Girl · #8,455 in 2026

Kala

Kala is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:

  • Tamil
  • Hawaiian
Current Rank
#8,455
Peak Rank
#462 (1989)
Total Babies
8K
5-Yr Trend
-34%
1943
First Year
2026
Last Year
1989
Peak Year
#462
Peak Rank
8K
Total Count
84
Years Active

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

Kala first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby girl name in 1943, with 7 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1989, when 525 Kalas were born — ranking #462 that year. As of 2026, Kala ranks #8,455 for baby girls with 11 births, falling sharply (-34%). In total, more than 8K Kalas have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1940s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Popularity by State

ME
WA
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
VT
NH
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
CA
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
DC
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
SC
AK
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
GA
HI
TX
FL
Top 10
11-50
51-100
101-500
500+
No data

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?
Kala is a given name and surname. Notable people with the name include:
What is the origin of the name Kala?
Kala has roots in the following cultural and linguistic traditions: Tamil, Hawaiian.
How popular is Kala in 2026?
In 2026, Kala ranks #8,455 among girls' names in the U.S., with 11 babies given the name that year.
When was Kala most popular?
Kala reached its peak popularity in 1989, ranking #462 that year with 525 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kala most popular?
Kala has historically been most popular in Alabama, District of Columbia, Mississippi. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kala.
Is Kala a unisex name?
In U.S. Social Security records, Kala is primarily a girl's name. We don't have meaningful data for it as a boy's name.
What names go well with Kala?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kala include Maryjane, Marlyn, Elliott. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

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

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.