Fun Facts About the Name Kalila
- More than 1 thousand babies named Kalila: U.S. records list 1,168 babies given the name Kalila from 1880 through 2025.
What Does the Name Kalila Mean?
Kalila is best known as one of the two jackal narrators in the Arabic fable collection Kalila wa Dimna, and its origin is usually traced in that context rather than to an Arabic root. The fables go back to the Sanskrit Panchatantra, whose frame story names two jackals, Karataka and Damanaka. The Arabic pair Kalila and Dimna is generally thought to descend from those two Sanskrit names by way of a Middle Persian translation, but the exact sound changes are not firmly established, and this widely repeated derivation is not certain.
As a personal name, Kalila is used in Arabic-speaking countries and in other communities that borrowed it, where it is sometimes glossed as "beloved" or "dear one." That gloss appears to be a customary interpretation rather than a documented Arabic etymology; Kalila is not a common Arabic noun, and no agreed derivation from an Arabic root has been established. For that reason the meaning is best given as uncertain.
The similar-sounding Hebrew name Kelila, from a Hebrew word for "crown" or "wreath," is a distinct name and is not the source of Kalila.
Kalila Name History & Origins
The fable names reached Arabic through the Sasanian Persian court. In the sixth century, at the order of King Khosrow I Anushirvan, the translator Borzouyeh turned the Sanskrit Panchatantra into Middle Persian. That version no longer survives; what remains is its Arabic rendering, made around 750 by Ibn al-Muqaffa' and titled Kalila wa Dimna after its two jackals. From Arabic the book spread into Persian, Turkish, Greek, and Spanish, among other languages, and the title characters' names traveled with it.
In the story itself, Kalila is one of two jackals, and both are male, so the use of Kalila as a feminine given name reflects later naming practice rather than the character's role in the fables. The name is now used for girls in the Middle East and in other places where the book's names became familiar, and it is not one of the older Arabic name patterns built on words of praise or on ʿabd compounds.
How Popular is the Name Kalila?
Kalila 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 2019. Its best rank was #2,617 in 2019.
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 | #3,120 | 52 | 0.0032% |
| 2024 | #3,665 | 42 | 0.0026% |
| 2023 | #3,398 | 47 | 0.0029% |
| 2022 | #3,736 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 2021 | #2,939 | 57 | 0.0035% |
| 2020 | #3,650 | 41 | 0.0025% |
| 2019 | #2,617 | 67 | 0.0040% |
| 2018 | #2,799 | 61 | 0.0036% |
| 2017 | #2,948 | 56 | 0.0032% |
| 2016 | #3,552 | 44 | 0.0025% |
| 2015 | #3,678 | 42 | 0.0024% |
| 2014 | #3,879 | 39 | 0.0022% |
| 2013 | #3,814 | 40 | 0.0023% |
| 2012 | #5,632 | 24 | 0.0014% |
| 2011 | #5,286 | 26 | 0.0015% |
| 2010 | #6,279 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2009 | #7,190 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2008 | #5,852 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2007 | #6,437 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2006 | #5,306 | 26 | 0.0014% |
| 2005 | #5,910 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2004 | #6,091 | 20 | 0.0011% |
| 2003 | #5,502 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2002 | #5,348 | 22 | 0.0012% |
| 2001 | #5,939 | 19 | 0.0011% |
| 2000 | #6,328 | 17 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #6,326 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1998 | #4,711 | 23 | 0.0013% |
| 1997 | #6,641 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 1996 | #5,394 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 1995 | #8,373 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1994 | #6,144 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 1993 | #5,793 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1992 | #8,369 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #8,258 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1990 | #4,948 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 1989 | #7,700 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1988 | #12,697 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1987 | #10,455 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1986 | #8,964 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1985 | #6,217 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1984 | #9,658 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1983 | #5,981 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1982 | #8,637 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1981 | #5,706 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 1980 | #6,506 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1979 | #5,916 | 11 | 0.0007% |
| 1978 | #9,014 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1977 | #10,302 | 5 | 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 Kalila 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 always looking for a chance to do your own thing, to be your own person, and to have things done your own way.
✦ Kalila's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Kalila's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.