Kalief
Kalief Browder was an African American youth from The Bronx, New York, who was held at the Rikers Island jail complex, without trial, between 2010 and 2013 for allegedly stealing a backpack containing valuables. During his imprisonment, Browder was kept in solitary confinement for 700 days.
Meaning & Origin of Kalief
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kalief Browder was an African American youth from The Bronx, New York, who was held at the Rikers Island jail complex, without trial, between 2010 and 2013 for allegedly stealing a backpack containing valuables. During his imprisonment, Browder was kept in solitary confinement for 700 days.
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The Story of Kalief
Kalief first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1978, with 10 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1989, when 14 Kaliefs were born — ranking #3,809 that year. As of 2026, Kalief ranks #12,141 for baby boys with 5 births, with steady use. In total, more than 203 Kaliefs have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1970s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Kalief
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Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Kalief
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About the name Kalief
Kalief is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1978 and has accumulated 203 births in the dataset. Kalief's peak popularity came in 1989 when it ranked #3,809. Use the chart and map above to compare Kalief's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1989 →
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- 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.