Fun Facts About the Name Kalea
- More than 4 thousand babies named Kalea: U.S. records list 4,646 babies given the name Kalea from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kalea Mean?
Kalea is most often explained as a Hawaiian name meaning "joy." It is analyzed as the Hawaiian definite article ka plus leʻa, a word for joy, pleasure, and delight, so ka leʻa literally means "the joy." Hawaiian leʻa also describes something pleasant, agreeable, or delightful, and the doubled form leʻaleʻa means to be happy or joyful. Some name lists give the meaning as "bright" or "clear," a looser rendering that does not match the main senses recorded for leʻa and is best treated with caution. A separate suggestion connects the name to the Greek root kalos ("beautiful"), as in Calla or Calista, but that link rests on sound resemblance rather than documented use.
Kalea Name History & Origins
Kalea is a Hawaiian-derived name that has come into use as a given name in English, mainly in the United States. Hawaiian personal names are often built from ordinary words and short phrases, and the articles ka and ke stand at the front of many of them; the structure behind Kalea, ka + leʻa, is a familiar pattern in the language. In Hawaiian tradition, Lea is also the name of a goddess connected with canoe builders.
English spellings of Hawaiian names usually leave out the ʻokina (glottal stop) and the kahakō (macron). Kalea is written without either, which is why the Hawaiian element leʻa looks like plain lea in the English name. Hawaiian words and names became more familiar in the mainland United States over the course of the twentieth century, and the Hawaiian Renaissance of the 1970s and 1980s encouraged the use of Hawaiian vocabulary as personal names in Hawaii itself.
As an English given name, Kalea is uncommon. It should not be assumed to share an origin with names it resembles, such as Kali or Kaliyah; the similarity is one of sound and spelling, not of derivation.
How Popular is the Name Kalea?
Kalea 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 2004. Its best rank was #1,199 in 2004.
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 | #1,224 | 185 | 0.0115% |
| 2024 | #1,364 | 167 | 0.0104% |
| 2023 | #1,415 | 158 | 0.0099% |
| 2022 | #1,397 | 164 | 0.0100% |
| 2021 | #1,658 | 126 | 0.0077% |
| 2020 | #1,401 | 156 | 0.0097% |
| 2019 | #1,397 | 161 | 0.0096% |
| 2018 | #1,537 | 142 | 0.0084% |
| 2017 | #1,427 | 160 | 0.0093% |
| 2016 | #1,421 | 163 | 0.0092% |
| 2015 | #1,516 | 149 | 0.0083% |
| 2014 | #1,498 | 149 | 0.0083% |
| 2013 | #1,433 | 158 | 0.0090% |
| 2012 | #1,368 | 171 | 0.0097% |
| 2011 | #1,357 | 170 | 0.0097% |
| 2010 | #1,382 | 168 | 0.0095% |
| 2009 | #1,416 | 166 | 0.0090% |
| 2008 | #1,341 | 183 | 0.0097% |
| 2007 | #1,362 | 178 | 0.0093% |
| 2006 | #1,320 | 178 | 0.0094% |
| 2005 | #1,322 | 167 | 0.0090% |
| 2004 | #1,199 | 187 | 0.0102% |
| 2003 | #1,480 | 132 | 0.0072% |
| 2002 | #1,637 | 113 | 0.0063% |
| 2001 | #1,733 | 104 | 0.0058% |
| 2000 | #2,041 | 81 | 0.0045% |
| 1999 | #2,006 | 78 | 0.0044% |
| 1998 | #2,173 | 66 | 0.0037% |
| 1997 | #2,346 | 57 | 0.0033% |
| 1996 | #2,296 | 58 | 0.0033% |
| 1995 | #3,716 | 29 | 0.0016% |
| 1994 | #2,771 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 1993 | #2,852 | 42 | 0.0023% |
| 1992 | #4,299 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 1991 | #3,576 | 30 | 0.0016% |
| 1990 | #3,395 | 32 | 0.0017% |
| 1989 | #4,745 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1988 | #5,158 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1987 | #4,563 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1986 | #4,619 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1985 | #7,895 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1984 | #4,587 | 16 | 0.0010% |
| 1983 | #5,610 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #7,141 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1981 | #7,047 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 1980 | #11,103 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1979 | #9,479 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1978 | #7,254 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1977 | #7,897 | 7 | 0.0005% |
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 Kalea 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.
Creative and outgoing, you are always looking for an opportunity to show your abilities, especially before audience. You are very flexible and like to feel appreciated. You are looking for chances to mix with others socially and to communicate your ideas. You like to talk and can easily relate to different cultures and concepts. The biggest challenge for you is uncertainty. Easily getting bored, you can move from one job to another, switch projects and lovers. The high creative force can lead you either to happiness or unhappiness. If you understand your goals, if you can make major decisions in life and follow it directly and straight up without worry and uncertainty, you are able to achieve great heights.
✦ Kalea's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kalea's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.