Cahlil
An Arabic name meaning "friend of God" or "dear to God".
Name Census estimates that about 237 living Americans carry the first name Cahlil. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cahlil today is around 13 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cahlil births was 2015 (15 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cahlil. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
237
~ 1 in 1,446,221 Americans
Peak year
2015
15 babies that year
Average age
13
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,928
Tracked since 1995
Popularity
Cahlil: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cahlil from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 99 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Cahlil remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cahlil by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Cahlil during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cahlil
The name Cahlil has its origins in the Arabic language and culture, with roots tracing back to the Middle Eastern region and the Islamic faith. It is derived from the Arabic word "Khalil," which means "friend" or "beloved." This name is often associated with the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) and his close companion, Khalil al-Rahman, which translates to "the friend of the Most Merciful."
Historically, the name Cahlil has been found in various ancient Arabic texts and manuscripts, including religious scriptures like the Quran and hadith literature. It has been a popular name among Muslim communities for centuries, carrying significant cultural and spiritual significance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cahlil can be traced back to the 7th century CE, when Khalil ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi, a renowned Arabic philologist and lexicographer, was born in Oman (718 CE – 786 CE). He made significant contributions to the study of the Arabic language and its grammar.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Cahlil was Khalil Gibran, a Lebanese-American writer, poet, and artist (1883 – 1931). He is best known for his philosophical work, "The Prophet," which has been widely acclaimed and translated into numerous languages.
In the realm of music, Cahlil El-Bahdiri (1908 – 1983) was an Iraqi musician and composer who played a significant role in the development of Iraqi and Arabic music. He is celebrated for his contributions to the preservation and promotion of traditional Iraqi maqam music.
The name Cahlil has also been associated with Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi (c. 786 – 861 CE), an Arab mathematician and astronomer from Baghdad, known for his work on the calculations of the movements of celestial bodies and the development of astronomical tables.
Another notable figure is Khalil Malouf (1917 – 2003), a renowned Lebanese poet, playwright, and essayist. He was highly regarded for his contributions to modern Arabic literature and his exploration of existential themes.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who have borne the name Cahlil, reflecting its deep-rooted cultural and historical significance within the Arabic-speaking world and beyond.
People
Cahlil + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cahlil as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Cahlil: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cahlil?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 237 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cahlil going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,446,221 US residents.
Is Cahlil a common name?
We classify Cahlil as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.4% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 239 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cahlil most popular?
The single biggest year for Cahlil was 2015, when 15 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cahlil is about 13 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Cahlil in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Cahlil a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cahlil in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Cahlil still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Cahlil in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Cahlil can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Cahlil?
See how many people share the name Cahlil on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.