Given name & surname
Kalman
“having great strength”
Kalman is used as a given name and a surname. One French interpretation is “having great strength.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One French interpretation is “having great strength.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is French.
How it developed
In Icelandic usage, Kalman developed from the Latin form Columba.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1912. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Kalman through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 1,258
- 1,258 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 2017
- 26 babies
- 2025
- 26
- #4,088 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +14%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 26 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 4,088 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 13.6% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. In 2025, New York had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (15). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 861 as a first name in 2020; 2,003 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.
Kalman’s family of names
In Icelandic usage, Kalman developed from the Latin form Columba. Kalman has a related form in Kallie. Kalman has a related form in Kalli.
Inner ring: spellings · middle: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Kalman has relatives in 6 languages. Lines run from its French roots to each of them.
7 related names in 6 languages. Point at a dot, or tab to the map and use the arrow keys.
Nicknames & forms 8
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Spellings & scripts 4
The same name written differently, including transliterations into other scripts.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Kalman
- Kalman KahanaIsraeli politician (1910-1991)
- Kalman SchulmanRussian historian (1819–1899)
- Kalman BerChief Rabbi of Israelborn 1957
- Kalman GerencseriFrench association football player1941–2023
- Kalman LiebskindIsraeli journalistborn 1970
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
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