Kaelan
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KAY-lan
- Origin
- Irish
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,372 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #5,044 for boys
Big in Scotland
Kaelan is a boys' name of Irish origin, meaning “slender”. In 2025 it ranked 1,372nd for boys in the UK (21 babies) and 5,044th for boys in the US (19 babies).
What does Kaelan mean?
Irish: probably a spelling of Irish Caolán
“slender”
Probably an anglicised spelling of the Irish name Caolán, a diminutive of caol, slender.
Is Kaelan a girl's or a boy's name?
Kaelan is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 21 boys in the UK and 19 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kaelan in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,372among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 21about 1 in 14,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 26% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 21 boys in the UK were named Kaelan, making it the 1,372nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,054th. Its busiest year was 2011, with 62 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kaelan in the UK since 1996 were born between 2009 and 2018, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 302 boys in the UK were given Kaelan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #196, up from #1,372 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 1,537th in England and Wales and 647th in Scotland.
Kaelan in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 21 | #1,372 |
| 2024 | 31 | #1,041 |
| 2023 | 18 | #1,507 |
| 2022 | 16 | #1,639 |
| 2021 | 22 | #1,298 |
| 2020 | 29 | #1,054 |
| 2019 | 36 | #909 |
| 2018 | 29 | #1,067 |
| 2017 | 30 | #1,068 |
| 2016 | 40 | #863 |
| 2015 | 36 | #924 |
| 2014 | 45 | #773 |
| 2013 | 43 | #811 |
| 2012 | 60 | #642 |
| 2011 | 62 | #617 |
| 2010 | 40 | #817 |
| 2009 | 42 | #771 |
| 2008 | 25 | #1,102 |
| 2007 | 25 | #1,065 |
| 2006 | 15 | #1,423 |
| 2005 | 17 | #1,267 |
| 2004 | 19 | #1,110 |
| 2003 | 5 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 8 | #1,728 |
| 2001 | 9 | #1,547 |
| 2000 | 6 | #1,977 |
| 1999 | 7 | #1,749 |
| 1998 | 7 | #1,727 |
| 1997 | 4 | #2,438 |
| 1996 | 10 | #1,290 |
How popular is Kaelan in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,044among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 19about 1 in 90,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 22% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 19 boys in the US were named Kaelan, making it the 5,044th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,695th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 91 boys. It first appears in the records in 1987.
Half of all the boys named Kaelan in the US since 1880 were born between 1998 and 2010, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 436 boys in the US were given Kaelan or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #611, up from #5,044 for this spelling alone.
In 2017, 17% of the babies named Kaelan in the US were girls.
Kaelan in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 19 | #5,044 |
| 2024 | 30 | #3,691 |
| 2023 | 17 | #5,465 |
| 2022 | 12 | #6,822 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 15 | #5,695 |
| 2019 | 22 | #4,476 |
| 2018 | 17 | #5,316 |
| 2017 | 40 | #2,950 |
| 2016 | 24 | #4,198 |
| 2015 | 41 | #2,863 |
| 2014 | 22 | #4,389 |
| 2013 | 36 | #3,058 |
| 2012 | 33 | #3,294 |
| 2011 | 33 | #3,305 |
| 2010 | 47 | #2,578 |
| 2009 | 57 | #2,286 |
| 2008 | 47 | #2,631 |
| 2007 | 50 | #2,504 |
| 2006 | 54 | #2,309 |
| 2005 | 59 | #2,077 |
| 2004 | 54 | #2,160 |
| 2003 | 54 | #2,073 |
| 2002 | 69 | #1,691 |
| 2001 | 67 | #1,706 |
| 2000 | 80 | #1,500 |
| 1999 | 81 | #1,433 |
| 1998 | 91 | #1,298 |
| 1997 | 81 | #1,363 |
| 1996 | 62 | #1,583 |
| 1995 | 61 | #1,544 |
| 1994 | 53 | #1,684 |
| 1993 | 21 | #3,135 |
| 1992 | 23 | #2,903 |
| 1991 | 11 | #4,752 |
| 1990 | 0 | – |
| 1989 | 5 | #7,898 |
| 1988 | 7 | #5,745 |
| 1987 | 9 | #4,567 |
Names like Kaelan
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Keegan Finn Kayden Aiden Ronan Kian Conan Brody Declan Keelan Kody Rowan
Other spellings of Kaelan
Caelan Caolan Kaylen Kaylan Caelen Kaelen Kalen Calen Caylen Kailen Keylan Kaylon Kalon Keylen Kailon
Names related to Kaelan
More Irish names
Oscar Rory Maeve Ryan Nolan Quinn Orla Cody Erin Connor Casey Kennedy Callan Lennon Cillian Kevin
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kaelan: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kaelan, updated 20 October 2026.