Given name & surname
Kalei
“an attendant of the king”
Kalei is used as a given name and a surname. One Hawaiian interpretation is “an attendant of the king.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Hawaiian interpretation is “an attendant of the king.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hawaiian.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1973. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kalei through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 2,224
- 276 boys · 1,948 girls
- Most popular year
- 2003
- 142 babies
- 2025
- 23
- #8,605 for girls · #7,420 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −11%
- Easing
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 12 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 8,605 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 15.8% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for girls was 142 in 2003. It also appeared in 11 birth records for boys in 2025. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 1,989 as a first name in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Inner ring: spellings · outer: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 2
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 1
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Similar names
If you love Kalei, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Akela
“one who is noble”
33% boys · 67% girls
Alika
“one who is honest”
47% boys · 53% girls
Koi
“one who implores”
48% boys · 52% girls
Kamalei
“child” · “a lei”
28% boys · 72% girls
Kawena
“the” · “glow”
7% boys · 93% girls
Keala
“the” · “path”
5% boys · 95% girls
Kamea
“the one and only; precious one”
3% boys · 97% girls
Zariel
“the lion princess”
50% boys · 50% girls