ChatGPT
Claude
Gemini
Perplexity
The short answer
Kalia is a feminine name in current use in the United States: it ranked #1064 for girls in the United States in 2025. Wiktionary's Hawaiian entry gives Kalia as "waited for", and also the name of a native tree of the linden family. The full derivation, and how far the sources will carry it, is set out below.
Meaning and etymology
Wiktionary's Hawaiian entry gives Kalia as a female given name from kalia "waited for", which is "also the name of a native tree of the linden family", citing Pukui and Elbert's Hawaiian Dictionary and Hawaii State Archives marriage records in which Kalia appears as a mononym for eleven men and eight women in the 19th century. The entry flags that the spelling may also stand for Kaliʻa, a different word, which is why this is recorded as likely rather than established. Wiktionary separately records an English surname Kalia borrowed from Punjabi ਕਾਲੀਆ.
Editorial confidence: likely
Linguistic roots
| Language | Form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Hawaiian | kalia | waited for |
Competing or overlapping origins
- Wiktionary notes that written Kalia may also stand for Hawaiian Kaliʻa.
- Wiktionary records an unrelated English surname Kalia borrowed from Punjabi ਕਾਲੀਆ.
Popularity
Kalia ranked #1064 for girls in the United States in 2025. The figure comes from the Social Security Administration's national file for that year.
| Region | Year | Rank | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 2025 | #1064 | ssa-2025 |
Frequently asked questions
What does the name Kalia mean?
Wiktionary's Hawaiian entry gives Kalia as "waited for", and also the name of a native tree of the linden family.
Is Kalia a popular name?
Kalia ranked #1064 for girls in the United States in 2025. (Social Security Administration data).
Is Kalia a boy's or a girl's name?
In the 2025 SSA data Kalia appears in the girls' list.
Sources
- U.S. Social Security Administration: Popular Baby Names — national data, year of birth 2025 — supports popularity, gender usage.
- Wiktionary: Kalia — Wiktionary, the free dictionary — supports Hawaiian meaning, Hawaiian usage, Punjabi surname.
- Behind the Name: Behind the Name search for Kalia (no entry) — supports absence of an entry for this spelling.
