Unisex · #2,159 in 2026

Kalen

Kalen is a given name. Notable people with the name include:MenKalen Ballage, American football player Kalen Damessi, Togolese international footballer Kalen DeBoer, American football coach and former player Kalen Porter, singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta Kalen Thornton, former American football linebackerWomenKalen Jackson, American football executive

Current Rank
#2,159
Peak Rank
#858 (1998)
Total Babies
5K
5-Yr Trend
-4%
👧 Girl peak #2,124 (1K total)
👦 Boy peak #858 (5K total)
👦As Boy Name
1959
First Year
2026
Last Year
1998
Peak Year
#858
Peak Rank
5K
Total Count
64
Years Active
👧As Girl Name
1952
First Year
2022
Last Year
1994
Peak Year
#2124
Peak Rank
1K
Total Count
59
Years Active

Meaning & Origin of Kalen

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

Kalen is a given name. Notable people with the name include:MenKalen Ballage, American football player Kalen Damessi, Togolese international footballer Kalen DeBoer, American football coach and former player Kalen Porter, singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta Kalen Thornton, former American football linebackerWomenKalen Jackson, American football executive

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

The Story of Kalen

As a girl name

Kalen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1952, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1994, when 64 Kalens were born — ranking #2,124 that year. As of 2026, Kalen ranks #15,292 for girls with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 1K Kalens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

As a boy name

Kalen first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a boy name in 1959, with 8 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1998, when 169 Kalens were born — ranking #858 that year. As of 2026, Kalen ranks #2,159 for boys with 69 births, holding steady (-4%). In total, more than 5K Kalens have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.

Popularity Over Time

Girls Boys

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 Kalen

Phonetically similar names — useful when Kalen 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 Kalen

What does the name Kalen mean?
Kalen is a given name. Notable people with the name include:MenKalen Ballage, American football player Kalen Damessi, Togolese international footballer Kalen DeBoer, American football coach and former player Kalen Porter, singer-songwriter from Medicine Hat, Alberta Kalen Thornton, former American football linebackerWomenKalen Jackson, American football executive
How popular is Kalen in 2026?
In 2026, Kalen ranks #2,159 among boys' names in the U.S., with 69 babies given the name that year.
When was Kalen most popular?
Kalen reached its peak popularity in 1998, ranking #858 that year with 169 babies given the name.
In which U.S. states is Kalen most popular?
Kalen has historically been most popular in Hawaii, Alaska, Nebraska. Rankings vary year to year, but these states show the strongest concentration of births named Kalen.
Is Kalen a unisex name?
Yes — Kalen is used for both girls and boys in U.S. records, with about 24% of Kalens assigned female and 76% assigned male historically.
What names go well with Kalen?
Names that share a similar style or popularity range with Kalen include Reynolds, Tavian, Louise. These pairings are based on rank proximity and naming era in U.S. data.

About the name Kalen

Kalen is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1959 and has accumulated 5K births in the dataset. Kalen's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #858. Use the chart and map above to compare Kalen'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.