Given name & surname
Kalem
“an honest man”
Kalem is a variant of Kaelem. One American interpretation is “an honest man.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
Kalem is a variant of Kaelem. One American interpretation is “an honest man.”
Explained through its name family
Where it comes from
Kalem is a variant of Kaelem. An origin associated with Kaelem is American.
Explained through its name family
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1974. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kalem through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 965
- 965 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 38 babies
- 2025
- 9
- #8,581 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −42%
- Cooling
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 9 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 8,581 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 42.0% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 38 in 2017. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 708 as a first name in 2020; 151 as a surname 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 1
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 Kalem, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kawhi
>99% boys
Carper
Carper is a surname.
>99% boys
Coehn
>99% boys
Artem
“safe and sound”
>99% boys
Kahden
>99% boys
Kahzi
>99% boys
Camdon
“of the enclosed valley” · “from the winding valley”
>99% boys
Carpenter
“one who makes carriages”
>99% boys