Total births
556
Girls' name · since 1981
Calah
556 babies named Calah in U.S. Social Security records since 1981, with the highest year being 2000. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #7386
- among girls today
- 556
- born since 1981
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 58%
- more common than other girls
Calah currently ranks #7386 among girls' names in America, with 556 babies recorded since 1981.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Calah has been recorded 556 times among girls since 1981, currently ranked #7386 nationally and more common than 58% of girls, with its heaviest use in the 1990s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1981 to 2025.
- #7386 among girls today
- 556 born since 1981
- 1990s peak decade
- 58% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Calah is currently the #7386 girls' name in America, more common than 58% of girls - 556 born since 1981, peaking in the 1990s.
- #7386
- among girls today
- 556
- born since 1981
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 58%
- more common than other girls
Calah vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#7386
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 58% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
35% of everyone ever named Calah was born in this single decade.
2000
Single peak year
25 babies were named Calah in 2000 - its busiest year on record.
How Calah compares
556 Top 43% higher than 57% of 17,726 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Calah's all-time total is 46% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Calah | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 556 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 25 | 48 | 19,840 |
Calah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Calah's SSA record in two at 2002 and the more recent half accounts for 42% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 58%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1983, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2000 peak of 25, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Calah at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
2000
Current rank
#7,386
Active since
1981
Calah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1981–2025
- Peak year (2000)
- 25
- Annual births at peak, across 45 years of records
Calah by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Calah's strongest decade.
196 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 35% of all-time use.
Calah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s
1980s
82 births
- 1990s
1990s
196 births
- 2000s
2000s
144 births
- 2010s 59
2010s
59 births
- 2020s 75
2020s
75 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 196 births (35% of all-time use).
How Calah compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Calah's total volume
Calah vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Calah? ▼
556 babies have been named Calah since 1981. It currently ranks #7386 among girls. The peak year was 2000 with 25 births.
When was Calah most popular? ▼
Calah was most popular in the 1990s decade with 196 total births. The single peak year was 2000.
How long has the name Calah been used? ▼
The SSA has tracked Calah since 1981 -- 45 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Calah? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Callie, Cali, Calista, Calliope, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Calah's data
- Calah's usage has stayed within range of its 1990s decade-level peak (196 total births) through the 2020s (75) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Calah
Nearby Names Like Calah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Calah
Callie Girl
#176 70,190 births
Cali Girl
#493 23,342 births
Calista Girl
#1453 7,504 births
Calliope Girl
#498 6,098 births
Caleigh Girl
#2711 5,768 births
Compare Calah side by side: Calah vs Callie Calah vs Cali Calah vs Calista
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Calah
Data Sources
Data as of June 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1981–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Calah: #7386 Girls' Name - 556 Births, Peak 2000." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/calah. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Calah draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.