Boys' name · since 1912

Kalman

Kalman has 1,258 recorded births since 1912 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2017 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.

#4,431 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,061 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,258
born since 1912
2010s
peak decade

Kalman currently ranks #4061 among boys' names in America, with 1,258 babies recorded since 1912.

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kalman has been recorded 1,258 times among boys since 1912, currently ranked #4061 nationally and more common than 71% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2010s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1912 to 2025.

  • #4,431 of 45,481 all-time among boys
  • #4,061 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
  • 1,258 born since 1912
  • 2010s peak decade

Data updated Aug 2026

The verdict

According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kalman ranks #4,431 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,061 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 1,258 born since 1912, peaking in the 2010s.

#4,431 of 45,481
all-time among boys
#4,061 of 13,930
2025 SSA year
1,258
born since 1912
2010s
peak decade
0%100%Median name50%70.8%
Kalman vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
Above the archive median
All-time archive position

Kalman's 1,258 recorded births place it above 90.25% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.

3 jurisdictions
State-record footprint

The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by New York.

How Kalman compares

1,258 Top 28% higher than 72% of 13,930 names currently given to boys

Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys 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

Kalman's all-time total is 3x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.

Metric Kalman Median boys name (Takari) #1 boys name (Liam)
All-time total births 1,258 369 358,536
Peak-year births 26 34 22,252

Kalman's usage pattern, beyond the headline number

Divide Kalman's SSA record in two at 1965 and the more recent half accounts for 51% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 49%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1930, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2017 peak of 26, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.

Kalman popularity over time

Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1912–2025

Outside the top 1,000
Peak year (2017)
26
Annual births at peak, across 114 years of records
051015202530 191219261941195519701991200520192025 26

Kalman by decade

2010s is the heaviest window (166 births, 13% of the file).

2010s was Kalman's strongest decade.

166 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 13% of all-time use.

Kalman births by decade

Total births in each ten-year window

births

What this shows Peak: 2010s at 166 births (13% of all-time use).

Source U.S. Social Security Administration · Baby Names As of August 2026

How Kalman compares to similarly-sized names

Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Kalman's total volume

Kalman vs 15 similarly-sized boys names Scatter plot of 16 data points. 0%2%4%6%8% 050100150200 New & already peakedOld name, single-era peakNew & still diversifyingLong history, steady all along Years in SSA records % of total births in the single peak year -35, 7.6%-51, 6.3%-42, 5.5%-48, 6%-49, 4.8%-45, 6.4%-79, 5.7%-71, 4.2%-111, 2.9%-145, 2.2%-96, 2.3%-113, 4.8%-44, 5.1%-33, 6.5%-68, 5.4%Kalman-114, 2.1%Kalman
Kalman vs 15 similarly-sized boys names

Kalman by state

Where Kalman concentrates geographically, total births since 1912

Regionally concentrated
Top 3 states by recorded births for the name Kalman
Rank State Visual share Births Share of total
#1 New York
361 28.7%
#2 New Jersey
36 2.9%
#3 Pennsylvania
29 2.3%
New York share of Kalman's total US births 28.7%
Even split

361 of 1,258 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.

Frequently Asked Questions

How popular is the name Kalman?
Kalman has been given to 1,258 babies in the U.S. since 1912, according to SSA data. Its archive ordinal is #4,431 of 45,481 among boys' names (total births, highest first). Among boys in 2025, it is #4,061 of 13,930. 26 babies were born in 2017, its single highest year.
Where does Kalman sit in the SSA name archive?
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kalman ranks #4,431 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,061 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. All-time ordinal matches browse popularity (total births DESC); the current ordinal uses the 2025 SSA file. See /methodology#corpus-placement.
When was Kalman most popular?
Kalman was most popular in the 2010s decade with 166 total births. The single peak year was 2017.
Where is Kalman most popular?
The top states for the name Kalman are New York (361 births), New Jersey (36 births), Pennsylvania (29 births).
How long has the name Kalman been used?
The SSA has tracked Kalman since 1912 -- 114 years through the most recent 2025 data.
What names are similar to Kalman?
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Kaleb, Kale, Kalvin, Kalen, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.

What to do with Kalman's data

  • Kalman's usage has stayed within range of its 2010s decade-level peak (166 total births) through the 2020s (116) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
  • New York records the most Kalmans (361 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. New York names

Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.

Keep exploring Kalman

Nearby Names Like Kalman

Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kalman

Names with a similar popularity rank to Kalman

Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span

Two nationwide peer axes for Kalman: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.

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, 1912–2025 (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 Kalman 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.