Kalem
A Turkish masculine name derived from kalem meaning "pen" or "reed pen".
Name Census estimates that about 937 living Americans carry the first name Kalem. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kalem today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalem births was 2017 (38 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalem. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Kalem with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
937
~ 1 in 365,800 Americans
Peak year
2017
38 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,618
Tracked since 1974
Census
Kalem in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 701 people with the first name Kalem, which placed it at #16,182 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#16,182
National first-name rank
People counted
701
701 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
53.5% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalem
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalem is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (12.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Kalem described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Kalem at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.5% · 375
- Black or African American20.7% · 145
- Hispanic or Latino12.8% · 90
- Two or more races7.4% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 20
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.7% · 19
Popularity
Kalem: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalem from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 286 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kalem remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalem 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 Kalem during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalems live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. California, Texas, New York recorded the most babies named Kalem, while New York, Texas, California recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 13 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalem
The name Kalem is derived from the Turkish word 'kalem', which means 'pen' or 'pencil'. It is believed to have originated in the Ottoman Empire during the 16th or 17th century. The name's origins are closely linked to the rich cultural heritage of calligraphy and writing in the Ottoman and Islamic world.
During the Ottoman era, calligraphy was highly revered and considered a sacred art form. Calligraphers, known as 'hattat', were respected for their skills and their ability to beautifully transcribe religious texts and official documents. The name Kalem likely emerged as a way to honor the significance of writing and the tools used in this esteemed craft.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kalem can be found in the works of the famous Ottoman calligrapher, Hafiz Osman (1642-1698). He was known for his exceptional calligraphy skills and his contributions to the development of the 'diwani' script, a style of calligraphy used in official documents and royal decrees.
Another notable figure in history who bore the name Kalem was Kalem Ali Pasha (1670-1755), an Ottoman statesman and Grand Vizier (prime minister) during the reign of Sultan Ahmed III. He played a significant role in the modernization efforts of the Ottoman Empire and was known for his diplomatic skills.
In the 19th century, Kalem Efendi (1813-1884) was a prominent Ottoman bureaucrat and historian. He served as the chief scribe of the Ottoman Porte (government) and wrote several important historical works documenting the events of his time.
During the 20th century, Kalem Sadik (1906-1970) was a renowned Turkish painter and calligrapher. He was celebrated for his unique style that combined traditional Ottoman calligraphy with modern art techniques. His works are displayed in various museums and galleries across Turkey.
Kalem Bey (1889-1962) was a Turkish diplomat and author. He served as the Turkish ambassador to several countries and wrote several books on international relations and diplomacy, reflecting his experiences in the diplomatic corps.
While the name Kalem has its roots in the Ottoman and Islamic cultural heritage, it has transcended its original meaning and has been adopted by people of various backgrounds and cultures around the world, particularly in Turkey and other regions with Ottoman influences.
People
Kalem + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalem as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kalem: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalem?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 937 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalem 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 365,800 US residents.
Is Kalem a common name?
We classify Kalem as "Very Rare". It ranks above 89.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 955 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalem most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalem was 2017, when 38 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalem is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kalem in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 701 people with the name Kalem, or 0.23 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #16,182 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Kalem in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Kalem?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kalem leans strongly male. 686 people counted with this name were male (96.9%), compared with 22 female bearers (3.1%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Kalem?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalem is White at 53.5%. The next largest groups are Black (20.7%) and Hispanic (12.8%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Kalem most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kalem in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.5% (375 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Kalem in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalem a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalem 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 Kalem still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalem 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 Kalem 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.
How many Americans are named Kalem?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.