Kalam
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- ka-LAHM
- Origin
- Arabic
Kalam is a boys' name of Arabic origin, meaning “speech, word”. Too few babies were given it in the latest year to rank.
What does Kalam mean?
Arabic
“speech, word”
From Arabic kalam, speech; A. P. J. Abdul Kalam was President of India, though some families use it as a spelling of Callum.
Is Kalam a girl's or a boy's name?
Kalam is a boys' name.
How popular is Kalam in the UK?
No boys in the UK were given it in 2025, or too few to be listed. Its busiest year was 1997, with 9 boys.
Half of all the boys named Kalam in the UK since 1996 were born between 1998 and 2003. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
Kalam in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 3 | #5,198 |
| 2023 | 0 | – |
| 2022 | 0 | – |
| 2021 | 0 | – |
| 2020 | 0 | – |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 0 | – |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 1 | #6,416 |
| 2015 | 3 | #4,955 |
| 2014 | 0 | – |
| 2013 | 0 | – |
| 2012 | 0 | – |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 3 | #4,486 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 3 | #3,992 |
| 2004 | 0 | – |
| 2003 | 5 | #2,574 |
| 2002 | 5 | #2,358 |
| 2001 | 7 | #1,833 |
| 2000 | 0 | – |
| 1999 | 9 | #1,451 |
| 1998 | 9 | #1,446 |
| 1997 | 9 | #1,412 |
| 1996 | 4 | #2,442 |
Names like Kalam
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Qasim, Hassan, Azeem, Usman, Hamza, Naeem, Asad, Saif, Fahad, Aamir, Zohaib, Salim
Names related to Kalam
More Arabic names
Muhammad, Layla, Mohammed, Lyla, Mohammad, Zara, Aaliyah, Amir, Amira, Fatima, Ali, Yahya, Zayn, Aisha, Omar, Zahra
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland) and Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Kalam: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kalam, updated 20 October 2026.