Girls' name · since 1985
Kaelah
Kaelah has 550 recorded births since 1985 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2002 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #11,172 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 550
- born since 1985
- 2000s
- peak decade
Kaelah sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 550 recorded since 1985.
Social Security Administration records show Kaelah recorded 550 times among girls since 1985, though it doesn't currently rank among the most-used girls names, peaking in the 2000s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1985 to 2020.
- #11,172 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 550 born since 1985
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kaelah ranks #11,172 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 550 born since 1985, peaking in the 2000s.
- #11,172 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 550
- born since 1985
- 2000s
- peak decade
Kaelah's 550 recorded births place it above 84.54% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 2 jurisdictions, led by California.
Kaelah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Kaelah's SSA record in two at 2004 and the more recent half accounts for 45% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 55%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1985, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2002 peak of 38, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Kaelah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1985–2020
- Peak year (2002)
- 38
- Annual births at peak, across 36 years of records
Kaelah by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (240 births, 44% of the file).
2000s was Kaelah's strongest decade.
240 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 44% of all-time use.
Kaelah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 11
1980s
11 births
- 1990s
1990s
184 births
- 2000s
2000s
240 births
- 2010s
2010s
109 births
- 2020s 6
2020s
6 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 240 births (44% of all-time use).
How Kaelah 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 Kaelah's total volume
Kaelah by state
Where Kaelah concentrates geographically, total births since 1985
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 50 | 9.1% |
| #2 | New York | | 12 | 2.2% |
50 of 550 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 2 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kaelah's data
- Kaelah's decade-level peak was the 2000s (240 total births); usage has since declined to 6 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kaelahs (50 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Kaelah
Nearby Names Like Kaelah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kaelah
Compare Kaelah side by side: Kaelah vs Kaelyn Kaelah vs Kaela Kaelah vs Kaelynn
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kaelah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2002)
Similar record span (~35 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 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, 1985–2020 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
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 Kaelah 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 August 2026.