Total births
6,358
Girls' name · since 1967
Kaela
Kaela has 6,358 recorded births since 1967 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1996 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #5338
- among girls today
- 6,358
- born since 1967
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Yes -- Kaela is the #5338 most popular girls' name in the U.S. today, with 6,358 recorded since 1967.
Kaela has 6,358 recorded births among girls since 1967, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #5338 as of the latest data, more common than 70% of girls, busiest in the 1990s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1967 to 2025.
- #5338 among girls today
- 6,358 born since 1967
- 1990s peak decade
- 70% more common than other girls
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Kaela is currently the #5338 girls' name in America, more common than 70% of girls - 6,358 born since 1967, peaking in the 1990s.
- #5338
- among girls today
- 6,358
- born since 1967
- 1990s
- peak decade
- 70%
- more common than other girls
Kaela vs. every other girls name in current SSA rankings
#5338
of 17,726 girls in use
More common than 70% of names given to girls today.
1990s
Peak decade
45% of everyone ever named Kaela was born in this single decade.
1996
Single peak year
345 babies were named Kaela in 1996 - its busiest year on record.
How Kaela compares
6,358 Top 11% higher than 89% 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
Kaela's all-time total is 17x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Kaela | Median girls name (Emerly) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 6,358 | 382 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 345 | 48 | 19,840 |
Kaela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kaela's full recorded timeline at 1998, 49% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 51% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1973, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1996 peak of 345 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kaela at a glance
Outside the top 1,000Peak year
1996
Current rank
#5,338
Active since
1967
Kaela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1967–2025
- Peak year (1996)
- 345
- Annual births at peak, across 59 years of records
Kaela by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
1990s was Kaela's strongest decade.
2,847 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 45% of all-time use.
Kaela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1960s 7
1960s
7 births
- 1970s 65
1970s
65 births
- 1980s 961
1980s
961 births
- 1990s
1990s
2,847 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,913 births
- 2010s 434
2010s
434 births
- 2020s 131
2020s
131 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 2,847 births (45% of all-time use).
How Kaela 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 Kaela's total volume
Kaela vs 15 similarly-sized girls names
Kaela by state
Where Kaela concentrates geographically, total births since 1967
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 993 | 15.6% |
| #2 | Texas | | 448 | 7.0% |
| #3 | New York | | 346 | 5.4% |
| #4 | Florida | | 284 | 4.5% |
| #5 | Michigan | | 203 | 3.2% |
| #6 | Pennsylvania | | 200 | 3.1% |
| #7 | Ohio | | 192 | 3.0% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 185 | 2.9% |
California share of Kaela's total US births 15.6%
Even split
993 of 6,358 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 36 reporting states.
Kaela appears in 36 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kaela? ▼
Since 1967, Social Security records show 6,358 babies named Kaela. Today it holds rank #5338 among girls. Its busiest year on record was 1996, with 345 births.
When was Kaela most popular? ▼
Kaela was most popular in the 1990s decade with 2,847 total births. The single peak year was 1996.
Where is Kaela most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Kaela are California (993 births), Texas (448 births), New York (346 births).
How long has the name Kaela been used? ▼
Records for Kaela go back to 1967, giving 59 years of history through 2025.
What names are similar to Kaela? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kaelyn, Kaelynn, Kaeli, Kaelin, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for girls.
What to do with Kaela's data
- Kaela's decade-level peak was the 1990s (2,847 total births); usage has since declined to 131 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kaelas (993 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- 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 Kaela
Nearby Names Like Kaela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kaela
Kaelyn Girl
#1640 15,566 births
Kaelynn Girl
#2037 5,052 births
Kaeli Girl
#769 3,447 births
Kaelin Girl
2,737 births
Kaeleigh Girl
#11420 1,426 births
Compare Kaela side by side: Kaela vs Kaelyn Kaela vs Kaelynn Kaela vs Kaeli
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Kaela
Yanira #5337
3,309 births · Peak 1993
Talaya #5339
1,527 births · Peak 2005
Chanelle #5336
5,223 births · Peak 1991
Maisha #5340
1,918 births · Peak 1977
Gianina #5335
743 births · Peak 2022
Carrington #5341
2,663 births · Peak 2000
Kelia #5334
1,054 births · Peak 1993
Gisel #5342
2,283 births · Peak 1999
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, 1967–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Kaela: #5338 Girls' Name - 6,358 Births, Peak 1996." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/kaela. 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 Kaela 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.