Kalum
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "valuable".
Name Census estimates that about 421 living Americans carry the first name Kalum. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kalum today is around 16 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalum births was 2014 (30 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalum. 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 Kalum with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
421
~ 1 in 814,143 Americans
Peak year
2014
30 babies that year
Average age
16
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,759
Tracked since 1974
Census
Kalum in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 315 people with the first name Kalum, which placed it at #28,488 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
#28,488
National first-name rank
People counted
315
315 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
45.1% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kalum
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalum is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Hispanic (14.6%). 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 Kalum 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 Kalum at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White45.1% · 142
- Black or African American21.9% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino14.6% · 46
- Two or more races7.6% · 24
- Asian and Pacific Islander6.3% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native4.4% · 14
Popularity
Kalum: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalum 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 167 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Kalum remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalum 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 Kalum during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kalums live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalum
The given name Kalum has its origins in the Arabic language, tracing back to the 7th century CE. It is believed to be derived from the Arabic word "kalam," which translates to "speech" or "word." This linguistic connection suggests that the name may have been originally associated with individuals who were skilled orators, poets, or scholars of language.
Interestingly, the name Kalum can also be linked to the Arabic word "qalb," meaning "heart." This alternative interpretation could imply that the name was bestowed upon individuals who exhibited qualities of courage, compassion, or sincerity. The multifaceted nature of the name's potential origins adds to its richness and depth.
In the early Islamic era, the name Kalum appeared in several historical records and texts, though its usage was relatively limited. One notable figure bearing this name was Kalum ibn Shaddad, a 9th-century Arab poet and scholar from Baghdad. His contributions to Arabic literature and his mastery of language aligned with the name's linguistic origins.
As time progressed, the name Kalum gained traction in various regions influenced by Islamic culture and the Arabic language. One prominent individual who carried this name was Kalum al-Nabulsi, a 17th-century Syrian scholar and mystic known for his literary works on Sufism. His impact on the spiritual and intellectual realms of his time further enriched the legacy of the name.
In the 19th century, the name Kalum found its way into the Indian subcontinent, likely through cultural and linguistic exchanges between the Middle East and South Asia. One notable figure was Kalum Khan, a 19th-century ruler of the Rajput Dynasty in present-day Pakistan. His leadership and influence during this period added another layer of historical significance to the name.
Another individual of note was Kalum Garib, a 20th-century Sufi poet and mystic from Pakistan. His profound spiritual teachings and poetic works contributed to the cultural tapestry of the region, further elevating the name's association with wisdom and contemplation.
While the name Kalum may not have been as widespread as some other names throughout history, its rich linguistic roots, historical references, and association with influential figures across various fields have imbued it with a deep sense of meaning and cultural significance.
People
Kalum + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalum 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
Kalum: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalum?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 421 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalum 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 814,143 US residents.
Is Kalum a common name?
We classify Kalum as "Very Rare". It ranks above 82.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 427 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalum most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalum was 2014, when 30 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalum is about 16 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kalum in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 315 people with the name Kalum, or 0.10 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #28,488 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 Kalum 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 Kalum?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kalum leans strongly male. 301 people counted with this name were male (98.0%), compared with 6 female bearers (2.0%). 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 Kalum?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kalum is White at 45.1%. The next largest groups are Black (21.9%) and Hispanic (14.6%). 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 Kalum most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kalum in the 2020 Census, accounting for 45.1% (142 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 Kalum in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalum a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalum 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 Kalum still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalum 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 Kalum 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 people have Kalum as a first name?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.