Fun Facts About the Name Kalai
- 318 babies named Kalai: U.S. records list 318 babies given the name Kalai from 1880 through 2025. Even 72 girls received the name Kalai - about 1 girl for every 3 boys.
What Does the Name Kalai Mean?
Kalai has two independent origins that give it different meanings. In Tamil, kalai (கலை) means "art" or "fine art." The word is related to the Sanskrit kalā (कला), which also means art, skill, or craft; Tamil uses it in devotional names such as Kalaimagal, a title for the goddess Saraswati. Used as a girl's name in Tamil-speaking South India and Sri Lanka, Kalai keeps the literal sense "art."
Separately, in Hawaiian, kālai is a verb meaning "to carve, cut, or hew," and it also names a carver or woodworker. As a Hawaiian given name, Kalai reflects that literal meaning of carving, not the Tamil sense of art.
Kalai Name History & Origins
The Tamil noun கலை (kalai) is long established in the language and names the arts as a group. It is tied to Sanskrit kalā (कला), the word for art, skill, or craft, and it appears in well-known Tamil compounds and epithets: Kalaimagal (literally "art-goddess") is a Tamil name for Saraswati, and names such as Kalaivani and Kalaiselvi use kalai as a first element. Kalai as a stand-alone feminine given name grew out of this ordinary-word usage.
Hawaiian kālai belongs to a Polynesian language in which many personal names are simply common words. It refers to the act of carving and to the carver's craft, and it is used as a personal name in Hawaii.
How Popular is the Name Kalai?
Kalai has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #5,118 in 2025.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #16,040 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #11,687 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #16,388 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2020 | #10,661 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #10,094 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2015 | #15,399 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #14,412 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2001 | #14,378 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2000 | #16,217 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1996 | #12,560 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1991 | #14,169 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #5,118 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2024 | #8,628 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2023 | #13,173 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2022 | #8,029 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2020 | #6,462 | 13 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #8,519 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2018 | #6,918 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #8,494 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2016 | #8,478 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2015 | #10,076 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2014 | #8,467 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2012 | #7,291 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #6,805 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2010 | #11,464 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2009 | #9,431 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2008 | #7,996 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2007 | #7,883 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2006 | #8,385 | 9 | 0.0004% |
| 2005 | #10,776 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 2004 | #6,335 | 12 | 0.0006% |
| 2003 | #6,496 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2002 | #6,799 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2001 | #6,710 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 2000 | #5,185 | 14 | 0.0007% |
| 1998 | #9,051 | 6 | 0.0003% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Kalai Shapes Your Personality and Life?
EXTREMES in fortune, health and spirituality. You are very versatile, idealistic and intuitive. You either enjoy great success or suffer abject misery. The solution is service to others. Use your leadership abilities for humanity and not for self-glorification. You are bold, independent, inquisitive and interested in research. You know what you want and why you want it.
You are very intuitive. You have a reservoir of inspired wisdom combined with inherited analytical ability, which could reward you through expressions of spiritual leadership, business analysis, marketing, artistic visions, and scientific research. Operating on spiritual side of your individuality can bring you to the great heights, and drop you off if you neglect your spiritual identity. You are always looking for an opportunity to investigate the unknown, to use and show your mental abilities, to find the purpose and meaning of life. You want to grow wise and to understand people and things. You need privacy to replenish your energy. You have a unique way of thinking, intuitive, reflective, absorbing.
✦ Kalai's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kalai's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.