Kalah

♀ Girl

Pronounced KAY-luh /ˈkeɪ.lə/Medium

Meaning: Kalah is most often a phonetic respelling of Kayla or Cala, reflecting the late-century vogue for the Kay-luh sound. A biblical place name Kalah (Calah) also exists, but the American given name almost certainly follows the Kayla trend.Low

In 30 seconds: Kalah is a respelling of Kayla or Cala (said 'KAY-luh'), part of the huge late-century wave of Kay- names.

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Origin LowEnglish

MeaningKalah is most often a phonetic respelling of Kayla or Cala, reflecting the late-century vogue for the Kay-luh sound. A biblical place name Kalah (Calah) also exists, but the American given name almost certainly follows the Kayla trend.

U.S. rank (2014)#17806 ↗ Rising

2014 U.S. births5 girls (0.00% of U.S. girls)

Peak year1991

Total births (all-time)≈ 778

Popularity in the U.S. · SSA data

U.S. births per year (Social Security Administration, 1880–present). Pink marker = peak year.

SSA data updated May 2026. How we source & verify this data.

History & Origin

Kalah reads as a respelled Kayla or Cala, one of many spellings families reached for as the Kay-luh sound swept girls' names in the later twentieth century. It appeared from the mid-1970s and crested around 1991 at a few dozen girls a year.

There is an ancient biblical place also called Kalah, but the American name almost certainly rides the Kayla trend rather than that source. A Kalah from the peak would be in her thirties now.

Did you know? The written form Kalah can fool the eye into 'KAH-lah', but as a modern American girl's name it rides the Kayla sound — a good reason to sound it out.

Overall data confidence 52%

References — Kalah — respelling of Kayla/Cala; also biblical place name

Variations

KaylaCalaKaylah

Nicknames

KayKal

Famous Bearers

Famous bearers coming soon.

If you like Kalah…

Kayla— the mainstream name Kalah most often respells

Cala— a like short variant of the same sound

Kaylah— another respelling of the Kayla sound

Layla— shares the soft two-beat -la ending and era

Explore names like Kalah

By thememodern variant late-century

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Frequently Asked

What does the name Kalah mean?

Kalah is a modern respelling of Kayla or Cala, part of the late-century Kay-luh trend.

How do you pronounce Kalah?

It's said KAY-luh /ˈkeɪ.lə/ — two syllables, stress on the first.

Is Kalah a boy or girl name?

Kalah is used as a girl's name.

How popular is Kalah?

Kalah is an uncommon respelling of the very popular Kayla.