Girls' name · since 1976
Kalah
778 babies named Kalah in U.S. Social Security records since 1976, with the highest year being 1991. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8,915 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 778
- born since 1976
- 1990s
- peak decade
Kalah is not among the current top-ranked girls names; 778 have been recorded since 1976.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kalah has been recorded 778 times among girls since 1976, though it is not among the currently most-used girls names, 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 1976 to 2014.
- #8,915 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 778 born since 1976
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kalah ranks #8,915 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 778 born since 1976, peaking in the 1990s.
- #8,915 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 778
- born since 1976
- 1990s
- peak decade
Kalah's 778 recorded births place it above 87.67% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
6 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by California.
Kalah's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Kalah splits its recorded history at 1994: 48% of all births land in the more recent half, 52% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 1976 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1991 peak of 54 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Kalah popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1976–2014
- Peak year (1991)
- 54
- Annual births at peak, across 39 years of records
Kalah by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (389 births, 50% of the file).
1990s was Kalah's strongest decade.
389 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 50% of all-time use.
Kalah births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1970s 16
1970s
16 births
- 1980s
1980s
217 births
- 1990s
1990s
389 births
- 2000s 151
2000s
151 births
- 2010s 5
2010s
5 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 389 births (50% of all-time use).
How Kalah 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 Kalah's total volume
Kalah by state
Where Kalah concentrates geographically, total births since 1976
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 24 | 3.1% |
| #2 | Illinois | | 18 | 2.3% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 6 | 0.8% |
| #4 | Michigan | | 5 | 0.6% |
| #5 | North Carolina | | 5 | 0.6% |
| #6 | New York | | 5 | 0.6% |
24 of 778 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 6 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Kalah's data
- Kalah's decade-level peak was the 1990s (389 total births); usage has since declined to 5 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kalahs (24 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 Kalah
Nearby Names Like Kalah
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kalah
Compare Kalah side by side: Kalah vs Kali Kalah vs Kaleigh Kalah vs Kaley
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kalah: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1991)
Similar record span (~38 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, 1976–2014 (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 Kalah 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.