Kealii
Hawaiian name meaning "son of the chiefs" or "the chief's child".
Name Census estimates that about 272 living Americans carry the first name Kealii. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kealii today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kealii births was 1996 (14 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kealii. 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
272
~ 1 in 1,260,126 Americans
Peak year
1996
14 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,407
Tracked since 1974
Census
Kealii in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 280 people with the first name Kealii, which placed it at #30,870 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
#30,870
National first-name rank
People counted
280
280 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Asian and Pacific Islander
39.3% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kealii
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kealii is Asian/Pacific Islander at 39.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (36.1%) and Hispanic (18.6%). 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 Kealii 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 Kealii at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Asian and Pacific Islander39.3% · 110
- Two or more races36.1% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino18.6% · 52
- White4.6% · 13
- Black or African American1.4% · 4
Popularity
Kealii: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kealii from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 66 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Kealii remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kealii 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 Kealii during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kealiis live
Origin
Meaning and history of Kealii
Kealii is a Hawaiian given name with origins dating back to the ancient Polynesian culture. The name is derived from the Hawaiian words "ke" meaning "the" and "alii" meaning "chief" or "royalty." It is a name steeped in Hawaiian heritage and tradition.
The earliest recorded uses of the name Kealii can be traced back to the Hawaiian oral traditions and ancient chants known as mele. These mele often referenced the alii, or chiefs, who were revered leaders in Hawaiian society. The name Kealii would have been associated with individuals of noble or royal lineage.
One of the earliest known historical figures to bear the name Kealii was Kealiiahonui, a renowned high chief who ruled over the island of Kauai during the late 16th century. He was known for his diplomatic skills and his efforts to maintain peace among the Hawaiian islands.
Another notable figure in Hawaiian history was Kealiiahonui II, who ruled over the island of Kauai in the early 18th century. He was a respected leader and navigated the challenges of maintaining Hawaiian sovereignty during a time of increasing Western influence in the Pacific.
In the 19th century, Kealii emerged as a name associated with the Hawaiian monarchy. Prince Kealiiahonui, who was born in 1809, was a member of the royal House of Kamehameha and served as a trusted advisor to several Hawaiian monarchs.
Outside of Hawaii, the name Kealii has been less common, but there are a few notable individuals who have carried this name. Kealii Reichel, born in 1963, is a renowned Hawaiian musician and songwriter who has helped preserve and celebrate Hawaiian culture through his music.
Kealii Lopez, born in 1974, is another Hawaiian individual who has gained recognition as a professional surfer and surfing instructor. His name and achievements have helped to introduce the name Kealii to a wider audience beyond the Hawaiian Islands.
While the name Kealii has its roots in Hawaiian culture and history, it has transcended its origins and now holds significance for individuals around the world who appreciate its unique sound and connection to the rich cultural heritage of Hawaii.
People
Kealii + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kealii 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
Kealii: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kealii?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 272 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kealii 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 1,260,126 US residents.
Is Kealii a common name?
We classify Kealii as "Very Rare". It ranks above 78.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 277 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kealii most popular?
The single biggest year for Kealii was 1996, when 14 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kealii 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 Kealii in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 280 people with the name Kealii, or 0.09 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #30,870 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 Kealii 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 Kealii?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kealii leans strongly male. 263 people counted with this name were male (94.3%), compared with 16 female bearers (5.7%). 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 Kealii?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kealii is Asian/Pacific Islander at 39.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (36.1%) and Hispanic (18.6%). 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 Kealii most often in the Census?
Asian/Pacific Islander is the largest reported group for people named Kealii in the 2020 Census, accounting for 39.3% (110 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 Kealii in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kealii a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kealii 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 Kealii still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kealii 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 Kealii 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 Kealii?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the name Kealii at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.