Khalilah
- Gender
- Girl
- Say it
- ka-LEE-la
- Origin
- Arabic
- UK rank, 2025
- #1,779 for girls
- US rank, 2025
- #4,986 for girls
Khalilah is a girls' name of Arabic origin, meaning “close friend, companion”. In 2025 it ranked 1,779th for girls in the UK (17 babies) and 4,986th for girls in the US (26 babies).
What does Khalilah mean?
Arabic: feminine of Khalil
“close friend, companion”
Feminine form of Khalil; Khalil Allah, 'friend of God', is an Islamic title of the prophet Abraham (Ibrahim).
Is Khalilah a girl's or a boy's name?
Khalilah is a girls' name. In 2025, it was given to 17 girls in the UK and 26 girls in the US. Too few boys were given it to be listed.
How popular is Khalilah in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #1,779among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 17about 1 in 16,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 500% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 17 girls in the UK were named Khalilah, making it the 1,779th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 5,734th.
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had the most girls named Khalilah of any year since it first appeared, in 2000.
Half of all the girls named Khalilah in the UK since 1996 were born between 2014 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 37 girls in the UK were given Khalilah or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #904, up from #1,779 for this spelling alone.
Among girls in 2025, it was 1,719th in England and Wales.
Khalilah in the UK, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 17 | #1,779 |
| 2024 | 11 | #2,480 |
| 2023 | 8 | #3,098 |
| 2022 | 6 | #3,728 |
| 2021 | 10 | #2,658 |
| 2020 | 3 | #5,734 |
| 2019 | 0 | – |
| 2018 | 3 | #5,896 |
| 2017 | 0 | – |
| 2016 | 0 | – |
| 2015 | 0 | – |
| 2014 | 3 | #5,920 |
| 2013 | 6 | #3,719 |
| 2012 | 4 | #5,058 |
| 2011 | 0 | – |
| 2010 | 0 | – |
| 2009 | 0 | – |
| 2008 | 0 | – |
| 2007 | 0 | – |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 0 | – |
| 2004 | 4 | #3,916 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 3 | #4,074 |
How popular is Khalilah in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #4,986among girls
- Babies in 2025
- 26about 1 in 62,000 girls
- Five-year trend
- Risingup 44% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 girls
In 2025, 26 girls in the US were named Khalilah, making it the 4,986th most popular name for girls. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 6,919th. Its busiest year was 1976, with 205 girls. It first appears in the records in 1975.
It has been given to more girls each year for the last 3 years. 2025 had more girls named Khalilah than any year since 1993.
Half of all the girls named Khalilah in the US since 1880 were born between 1978 and 2000, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 217 girls in the US were given Khalilah or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #1,008, up from #4,986 for this spelling alone.
Khalilah in the US, year by year
| Year | Girls | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 26 | #4,986 |
| 2024 | 25 | #5,145 |
| 2023 | 18 | #6,404 |
| 2022 | 15 | #7,276 |
| 2021 | 24 | #5,233 |
| 2020 | 16 | #6,919 |
| 2019 | 17 | #6,694 |
| 2018 | 15 | #7,405 |
| 2017 | 13 | #8,295 |
| 2016 | 13 | #8,390 |
| 2015 | 14 | #8,004 |
| 2014 | 14 | #8,050 |
| 2013 | 13 | #8,575 |
| 2012 | 17 | #7,140 |
| 2011 | 10 | #10,370 |
| 2010 | 12 | #9,227 |
| 2009 | 14 | #8,450 |
| 2008 | 14 | #8,525 |
| 2007 | 10 | #10,814 |
| 2006 | 15 | #7,865 |
| 2005 | 17 | #6,815 |
| 2004 | 23 | #5,373 |
| 2003 | 14 | #7,575 |
| 2002 | 23 | #5,082 |
| 2001 | 19 | #5,817 |
| 2000 | 24 | #4,786 |
| 1999 | 21 | #5,033 |
| 1998 | 24 | #4,489 |
| 1997 | 25 | #4,236 |
| 1996 | 16 | #5,766 |
| 1995 | 22 | #4,513 |
| 1994 | 23 | #4,371 |
| 1993 | 27 | #3,872 |
| 1992 | 16 | #5,711 |
| 1991 | 20 | #4,802 |
| 1990 | 13 | #6,459 |
| 1989 | 19 | #4,664 |
| 1988 | 11 | #6,661 |
| 1987 | 23 | #3,740 |
| 1986 | 22 | #3,755 |
| 1985 | 41 | #2,397 |
| 1984 | 26 | #3,232 |
| 1983 | 44 | #2,197 |
| 1982 | 49 | #2,082 |
| 1981 | 67 | #1,700 |
| 1980 | 97 | #1,310 |
| 1979 | 127 | #1,080 |
| 1978 | 143 | #969 |
| 1977 | 166 | #870 |
| 1976 | 205 | #714 |
| 1975 | 17 | #3,773 |
Names like Khalilah
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Aaliyah Azeemah Nusaybah Umaymah Khadija Aakifah Ruqayyah Farah Musfirah Sumayyah Zainab Safa
Other spellings of Khalilah
Names related to Khalilah
Kaliyah Khawlah Khalayah Kaliah Khawla Khalia Kahlia Khaliyah Kailah
More Arabic names
Muhammad Layla Mohammed Lyla Mohammad Zara Amir Amira Fatima Ali Yahya Zayn Aisha Omar Zahra Hamza
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, “Khalilah: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/khalilah, updated 20 October 2026.