Khalil
Khalil or Khaleel means friend and is a common male first name in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Asia and among Muslims in South Asia and as such is also a common surname. It is also used amongst Turkic peoples of Russia and African Americans. Abraham is given the title Khalīl-ullah in Islam.
- Arabic
- Persian
- Urdu
Meaning & Origin of Khalil
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Khalil or Khaleel means friend and is a common male first name in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Balkans, North Africa, West Africa, East Africa, Central Asia and among Muslims in South Asia and as such is also a common surname. It is also used amongst Turkic peoples of Russia and African Americans. Abraham is given the title Khalīl-ullah in Islam.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Arabic
- Persian
- Urdu
The Story of Khalil
Khalil first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1957, with 5 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 2020, when 1,231 Khalils were born — ranking #274 that year. As of 2026, Khalil ranks #410 for baby boys with 777 births, gradually falling (-11%). In total, more than 26K Khalils have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1950s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Khalil
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Khalil. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Khalil
Phonetically similar names — useful when Khalil 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 Khalil
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About the name Khalil
Khalil is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1957 and has accumulated 26K births in the dataset. Khalil's peak popularity came in 2020 when it ranked #251. Use the chart and map above to compare Khalil's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 2020 →
- Names of the 2020s →
- Names starting with "K" →
- Browse all boy 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.