Kalle
Kalle is a masculine given name of North Germanic origin, a variation of Karl. In Sweden, people named Karl are commonly nicknamed Kalle. The name is also found in Finland and Estonia. Notable people with the name include:
- Swedish
- Finnish
- Estonian
Meaning & Origin of Kalle
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Kalle is a masculine given name of North Germanic origin, a variation of Karl. In Sweden, people named Karl are commonly nicknamed Kalle. The name is also found in Finland and Estonia. Notable people with the name include:
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Swedish
- Finnish
- Estonian
The Story of Kalle
As a girl name
Kalle first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a girl name in 1977, with 5 babies given the name that year. The name hit its high-water mark in 1998: 39 births, good for #3,172 nationwide. About 38% of every Kalle on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Kalle last appeared in the published SSA data in 2013, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 325 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1970s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Kalle as a boy name dates back to 1989, when 5 babies received it. 1997 was its biggest year on record, with 7 newborns named Kalle — #7,282 in the national rankings. About 52% of every Kalle on record arrived during the 1990s, its defining decade. Kalle last appeared in the published SSA data in 2015, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 33 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1980s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Kalle
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Kalle. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Kalle
Phonetically similar names — useful when Kalle 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 Kalle
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How popular is Kalle in 2026?
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Is Kalle a unisex name?
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About the name Kalle
Kalle is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1977 and has accumulated 325 births in the dataset. Kalle's peak popularity came in 1998 when it ranked #3,172. Use the chart and map above to compare Kalle's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1998 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
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.