UK girl's name
Kaela
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "the laurel tree".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2024. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Kaela is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kaela popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4843, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2007, with 22 births.
This profile covers 190 England and Wales registrations across 22 recorded years from 1997 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, NRS Scotland and NISRA Northern Ireland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 18% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 258 living people in the UK are called Kaela. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2025 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Kaela ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2007, when 22 girls were registered as Kaela.
- • Kaela ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #444 in 2011.
- • About 258 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kaela as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4843
2024
Births in 2024
4
Latest year
Peak year
2007
22 births
Estimated living
258
2026
Meaning
What does Kaela mean?
The name Kaela is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language, derived from the word "ka'el," meaning "daughter of God" or "heavenly daughter." Its roots can be traced back to ancient Semitic languages spoken in the Middle East region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Kaela can be found in the biblical text of the Old Testament, where it is mentioned as a variant spelling of the name Keila, a city in the Judean hills. This suggests that the name has been in use for centuries, potentially dating back to ancient Israelite and Jewish cultures.
In the medieval period, the name Kaela was occasionally used as a feminine form of the male name Kael, which itself was a variation of the more common name Michael. During this time, the name was primarily found in various European regions, particularly among Jewish communities.
One notable historical figure bearing the name Kaela was Kaela Cuerta, a 13th-century Jewish philosopher and scholar from Spain. She was renowned for her contributions to the field of metaphysics and her influential writings on the nature of the soul.
Another famous bearer of the name was Kaela Beaumont, a 15th-century French noblewoman and courtier during the reign of King Louis XI. She played a significant role in the cultural and artistic life of the French royal court.
In the 16th century, Kaela Vespucci, an Italian explorer and navigator, accompanied her cousin Amerigo Vespucci on several voyages to the Americas. She is credited with documenting valuable information about the flora and fauna of the New World.
The 17th century saw the birth of Kaela von Schönborn, a German countess and patron of the arts. She was instrumental in commissioning numerous works of art and architecture, leaving a lasting impact on the cultural landscape of her time.
In more recent history, Kaela Kapoor was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer who lived from 1920 to 2012. She played a pivotal role in preserving and promoting the traditional dance forms of India, earning numerous accolades and honors throughout her illustrious career.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Kaela over time
The chart below shows babies named Kaela registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1997 to 2024. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Kaela, the clearest high point is 2007. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 22 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaela by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kaela was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | #5022 | 11 | 3 |
| 2010s | #3799 | 47 | 8 |
| 2000s | #1852 | 126 | 10 |
| 1990s | #2411 | 6 | 1 |
Geography
Where Kaela is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Kaela. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Kaela ranks best in Northern Ireland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #444 in 2011.
Across the UK
Kaela in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#798 in 2016
12 years of NRS records, 53 total registered
Northern Ireland (NISRA)
#444 in 2011
4 years of NISRA records, 16 total registered
Notable bearers
Famous people named Kaela
-
Kaela Greig
basketball player
Scottish basketball player (born 1995)
1995-
Related
Names similar to Kaela
- Katie 53,185
- Keira 14,411
- Katherine 11,323
- Kayleigh 10,677
- Kate 10,276
- Kelsey 7,224
- Kiera 7,218
- Kayla 6,541
- Kirsty 6,384
- Khadija 5,948
- Kimberley 5,189
- Kaitlyn 5,137
FAQ
Kaela: questions and answers
How popular is the name Kaela in the UK right now?
In 2024, Kaela was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Kaela most popular?
The peak year on record was 2007, with 22 babies registered as Kaela in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Kaela?
A feminine name of Hawaiian origin meaning "the laurel tree".
How many people are called Kaela in the UK?
A total of 190 babies have been registered as Kaela across the 22 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 53 more in Scotland and 16 in Northern Ireland.
Where is Kaela most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Kaela ranks best in Northern Ireland, where it placed #444 in 2011. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.