Unisex name ★ peaked 1998

Kalen

Gender Unisex · 24% girls Rank 2025 #2,086 Trend → Stable
Rank 2025
#2,086
among boys · ↓37 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
80
named Kalen · +8% vs 2024
How common
1 in 24,057
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1998
226 babies
All-time total
6,096
#1,884 all-time among boys
First recorded
1952
in Social Security records

Kalen popularity over time

6,096 babies have been named Kalen since 1952, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.030.050.080.118801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – – – –
1890s – – – – – –
1900s – – – – – –
1910s – – – – – –
1920s – – – – – –
1930s – – – – – –
1940s – – – – – –
1950s 30 8 38 4 – #3,150
1960s 41 61 102 10 +168% #2,485
1970s 85 99 184 18 +80% #2,158
1980s 253 705 958 96 +421% #916
1990s 502 1,214 1,716 172 +79% #859
2000s 390 1,282 1,672 167 -3% #1,080
2010s 145 810 955 96 -43% #1,363
2020s (to 2025) 21 450 471 79 -18% #1,650

Where Kalen is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 71 0.04 outside top 500
2027 71 0.04 outside top 500
2028 71 0.04 outside top 500
2029 71 0.04 outside top 500
2030 71 0.04 outside top 500

Where Kalen is most popular

Boys named Kalen per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.045 per 1,000. Strongest in Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Kalen born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Alabama 6 0.055 +23%
Florida 22 0.046 ≈ national
North Carolina 10 0.039 -12%
Tennessee 6 0.033 -25%
Texas 23 0.026 -41%
Georgia 6 0.024 -47%
Illinois 6 0.023 -47%
California 21 0.023 -48%
Alaska – – –
Arkansas – – –
Arizona – – –
Colorado – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Iowa – – –
Idaho – – –
Indiana – – –
Kansas – – –
Kentucky – – –
Louisiana – – –
Massachusetts – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Michigan – – –
Minnesota – – –
Missouri – – –
Mississippi – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nebraska – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Jersey – – –
New Mexico – – –
Nevada – – –
New York – – –
Ohio – – –
Oklahoma – – –
Oregon – – –
Pennsylvania – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Carolina – – –
South Dakota – – –
Utah – – –
Virginia – – –
Vermont – – –
Washington – – –
Wisconsin – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Kalen

Kalen is rare for boys in the United States, ranked #2,086 in 2025 with 71 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1952, 6,096 American babies have been named Kalen, about 76% boys and 24% girls, making it a genuinely unisex name. Its peak came in 1998, when 226 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1990s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Kalen stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Kalen?

The median living Kalen is about 25 years old; half are between 16 and 33. An estimated 6,000 people named Kalen are alive in the United States today.

median 25 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Kalen year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 9 #10,487 71 #2,086
2024 – – 74 #2,049
2023 – – 56 #2,426
2022 5 #16,449 83 #1,897
2021 7 #12,822 101 #1,650
2020 – – 65 #2,155
2019 – – 80 #1,878
2018 6 #14,676 67 #2,110
2017 11 #9,616 52 #2,470
2016 9 #11,296 66 #2,122
2015 15 #7,794 66 #2,123
2014 21 #6,100 78 #1,876
2013 20 #6,357 84 #1,745
2012 18 #6,999 86 #1,747
2011 26 #5,285 106 #1,514
2010 19 #6,767 125 #1,363
2009 20 #6,682 140 #1,260
2008 36 #4,313 123 #1,385
2007 33 #4,519 147 #1,202
2006 37 #4,037 118 #1,372
2005 44 #3,436 120 #1,285
2004 29 #4,653 122 #1,240
2003 39 #3,629 144 #1,080
2002 51 #2,914 115 #1,210
2001 48 #2,986 133 #1,082
2000 53 #2,757 120 #1,159
1995 43 #2,814 141 #936
1990 34 #3,253 104 #1,040
1985 24 #3,567 83 #1,005
1980 7 #8,546 31 #1,832
1975 10 #5,722 8 #4,118
1970 5 #8,584 8 #3,675
1965 11 #4,056 9 #2,890
1960 – – – –
1955 5 #6,263 – –
1950 – – – –
1945 – – – –
1940 – – – –
1935 – – – –
1930 – – – –
1925 – – – –
1920 – – – –
1915 – – – –
1910 – – – –
1905 – – – –
1900 – – – –
1895 – – – –
1890 – – – –
1885 – – – –
1880 – – – –

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Kalen, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Kalen?

The median living Kalen is about 25 years old. Half of all living Kalens are between 16 and 33 years old.

How many people named Kalen are alive today?

An estimated 6,000 people named Kalen are alive in the United States, based on 6,096 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

How popular is the name Kalen in 2025?

Kalen ranked #2,086 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 71 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Kalen?

6,096 babies have been named Kalen in the United States since 1952, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Kalen most popular?

Kalen peaked in 1998, when 226 newborns received the name.

Is Kalen a boy or girl name?

Kalen is used for both: about 24% of babies named Kalen have been girls and 76% boys.

Is the name Kalen rising or falling?

Kalen has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Kalen become more popular?

Kalen looks stable. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 71 boys named Kalen in 2030, ranking outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Names like Kalen

Names that sound and feel close to Kalen: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Kalen with similar names → More names starting with K →