Girls' name · since 1950
Kela
901 babies named Kela in U.S. Social Security records since 1950, with the highest year being 1994. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #8,065 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 901
- born since 1950
- 1990s
- peak decade
Kela sits outside today's top ranks for girls, with 901 recorded since 1950.
Kela has 901 recorded births among girls since 1950, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, though it falls outside today's most-used girls names, 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 1950 to 2016.
- #8,065 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- 901 born since 1950
- 1990s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Kela ranks #8,065 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first). 901 born since 1950, peaking in the 1990s.
- #8,065 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- 901
- born since 1950
- 1990s
- peak decade
Kela's 901 recorded births place it above 88.84% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
The state file records this name in 3 jurisdictions, led by California.
Kela's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Kela's full recorded timeline at 1985, 56% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 44% in the earlier half -- a fairly even split across the full record. Its quietest year on record was 1951, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1994 peak of 32 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Kela popularity over time
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1950–2016
- Peak year (1994)
- 32
- Annual births at peak, across 67 years of records
Kela by decade
1990s is the heaviest window (239 births, 27% of the file).
1990s was Kela's strongest decade.
239 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 27% of all-time use.
Kela births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1950s 18
1950s
18 births
- 1960s 67
1960s
67 births
- 1970s
1970s
211 births
- 1980s
1980s
211 births
- 1990s
1990s
239 births
- 2000s
2000s
140 births
- 2010s 15
2010s
15 births
What this shows Peak: 1990s at 239 births (27% of all-time use).
How Kela 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 Kela's total volume
Kela by state
Where Kela concentrates geographically, total births since 1950
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 28 | 3.1% |
| #2 | Hawaii | | 12 | 1.3% |
| #3 | Louisiana | | 6 | 0.7% |
28 of 901 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 3 reporting states.
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Kela? ▼
Where does Kela sit in the SSA name archive? ▼
When was Kela most popular? ▼
Where is Kela most popular? ▼
How long has the name Kela been used? ▼
What names are similar to Kela? ▼
What to do with Kela's data
- Kela's decade-level peak was the 1990s (239 total births); usage has since declined to 15 in the 2010s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- California records the most Kelas (28 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 Kela
Nearby Names Like Kela
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Kela
Compare Kela side by side: Kela vs Kelly Kela vs Kelsey Kela vs Kelli
Related Names
Names with a similar number of total births
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Kela: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1994)
Similar record span (~66 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, 1950–2016 (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 Kela 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.