Kala means time or art — from the Sanskrit/Hawaiian. In Sanskrit, kala IS the most fundamentally cosmic concept — time itself AND the force of creation AND destruction. In Hawaiian, kala means sun AND forgiveness. Two syllables of the most cosmic concept, creation-AND-destruction, AND Hawaiian sun-forgiveness.
In Sanskrit, kala IS time — creation AND destruction.In Hawaiian, sun AND forgiveness.Two syllables with a gentle, dual sound: KAH-lah.Kal and A are both embedded.The most dually time-AND-sun.
Kala IS Sanskrit for time (creation AND destruction) AND Hawaiian for sun/forgiveness.
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First recorded
Earliest known use: Sanskrit/Hawaiian.
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Today
Kala remains a beloved choice, ranking #6447 in the US. 7,762 babies have been named Kala since 1943.
◈ Sources: Behind the Name, SSA data
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How popular is Kala?
1989peak year
Today, Kala is rarely chosen — ranked well outside the top 1,000 (around #6447), with only about 20 babies given the name per year. But it wasn't always this way. At its peak in 1989, 525 babies were given the name (ranked #462 nationally). Its strongest stretch was the 1990s. Kala has been declining in recent years. In all, around 7,762 babies have been registered as Kala since 1880.
Year-by-year registrations1880–2024 · U.S. Social Security data
Kala's Life Path 7 is the seeker's number — time seeking. People named Kala tend to be gentle, cosmic, and gifted at being the Sanskrit time AND Hawaiian sun-forgiveness.
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