Girls' name · since 1956
Keela
Keela has 1,070 recorded births since 1956 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1978 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #7,162 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,199 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,070
- born since 1956
- 1970s
- peak decade
Keela currently ranks #15199 among girls' names in America, with 1,070 babies recorded since 1956.
Social Security Administration records show Keela recorded 1,070 times among girls since 1956, holding rank #15199 nationally today, ahead of 12% of girls, peaking in the 1970s. This profile derives year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1956 to 2025.
- #7,162 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #15,199 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 1,070 born since 1956
- 1970s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Keela ranks #7,162 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #15,199 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 1,070 born since 1956, peaking in the 1970s.
- #7,162 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #15,199 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 1,070
- born since 1956
- 1970s
- peak decade
Keela's 1,070 recorded births place it above 90.09% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by Tennessee.
How Keela compares
1,070 Top 31% higher than 69% of 17,297 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
Keela's all-time total is 185% above the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Keela | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 1,070 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 33 | 21 | 19,840 |
Keela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Keela splits its recorded history at 1990: 42% of all births land in the more recent half, 58% in the earlier half, an evenly balanced pattern over time. The single quietest year was 2002 (5 births) -- compare that against the 1978 peak of 33 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Keela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1956–2025
- Peak year (1978)
- 33
- Annual births at peak, across 70 years of records
Keela by decade
1970s is the heaviest window (259 births, 24% of the file).
1970s was Keela's strongest decade.
259 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Keela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 26
1950s
26 births
- 1960s
1960s
127 births
- 1970s
1970s
259 births
- 1980s
1980s
207 births
- 1990s
1990s
187 births
- 2000s
2000s
107 births
- 2010s
2010s
132 births
- 2020s 25
2020s
25 births
What this shows Peak: 1970s at 259 births (24% of all-time use).
How Keela 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 Keela's total volume
Keela by state
Where Keela concentrates geographically, total births since 1956
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Tennessee | | 7 | 0.7% |
| #2 | Alabama | | 5 | 0.5% |
| #3 | Georgia | | 5 | 0.5% |
7 of 1,070 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Keela? ▼
Where does Keela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Keela most popular? ▼
Where is Keela most popular? ▼
How long has the name Keela been used? ▼
What names are similar to Keela? ▼
What to do with Keela's data
- Keela's decade-level peak was the 1970s (259 total births); usage has since declined to 25 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Tennessee records the most Keelas (7 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Tennessee names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Keela
Nearby Names Like Keela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Keela
Compare Keela side by side: Keela vs Keely Keela vs Keeley Keela vs Keegan
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Keela
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Keela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1978)
Similar record span (~69 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, 1956–2025 (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 Keela 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.