NameCensus.

UK girl's name

Kaliya

A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "serpent" or "snake".

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.

Kaliya is a girl's name in the UK records. People looking for Kaliya 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 2019, with 4 births.

This profile covers 11 England and Wales registrations across 3 recorded years from 2019 to 2024. The figures come from ONS England and Wales, 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 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.

We estimate that about 11 living people in the UK are called Kaliya. 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

  • Kaliya ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales in 2024, with 4 registrations.
  • The name peaked in 2019, when 4 girls were registered as Kaliya.
  • About 11 living people in the UK are estimated to have Kaliya 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

2019

4 births

Estimated living

11

2026

Meaning

What does Kaliya mean?

The name Kaliya has its origins in Sanskrit, an ancient Indo-Aryan language that was the classical literary language of the Indian subcontinent. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "kali," which means "black" or "dark," and is often associated with the Hindu goddess Kali, the fierce and powerful embodiment of divine feminine energy.

In Hindu mythology, Kaliya is the name of a powerful serpent or naga who resided in the Yamuna River near the city of Vrindavan. According to the Bhagavata Purana, one of the most important sacred texts of Hinduism, Lord Krishna subdued and defeated Kaliya after the serpent had poisoned the waters of the river, causing great distress to the inhabitants of Vrindavan.

The earliest recorded instances of the name Kaliya can be found in ancient Hindu scriptures and texts, such as the Puranas and the Mahabharata, which date back to the first millennium BCE. The name gained popularity in India and other parts of South Asia, particularly among Hindu communities.

One of the earliest known historical figures with the name Kaliya was Kaliya Malla, a 12th-century ruler of the Malla dynasty in Nepal. He is credited with building several temples and monuments in the Kathmandu Valley, including the famous Changu Narayan Temple.

Another notable figure was Kaliya Mardan, a renowned 16th-century Sufi saint and poet from the Indian subcontinent. He was known for his devotional poetry and his teachings on the path of spiritual enlightenment.

In more recent history, Kaliya Singh (1837-1887) was an influential Indian politician and social reformer from the state of Uttar Pradesh. He played a significant role in the Indian independence movement and advocated for the rights of peasants and the abolition of oppressive land revenue systems.

Kaliya Ranjan Qanungo (1888-1953) was a distinguished Indian historian and scholar who made significant contributions to the study of Indian history, particularly the medieval period. He served as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calcutta and was awarded the Padma Bhushan, one of India's highest civilian honors.

Kaliya Kunju Rani (1905-1990) was a renowned Indian classical dancer and choreographer from Kerala. She was instrumental in reviving and promoting the traditional Mohiniyattam dance form and was awarded the Padma Shri, one of India's highest civilian honors, for her contributions to the field of dance.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

Popularity

Kaliya over time

The chart below shows babies named Kaliya registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2019 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 Kaliya, the clearest high point is 2019. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2024, compared with 4 at the peak.

Babies born per year

Kaliya
01234201920212024

Decades

Kaliya by decade

Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Kaliya 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 #5256 7 2
2010s #4686 4 1

Related

Names similar to Kaliya

FAQ

Kaliya: questions and answers

How popular is the name Kaliya in the UK right now?

In 2024, Kaliya was ranked #4843 for girls in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.

When was Kaliya most popular?

The peak year on record was 2019, with 4 babies registered as Kaliya in England and Wales.

What is the meaning and origin of Kaliya?

A feminine name of Indian origin meaning "serpent" or "snake".

How many people are called Kaliya in the UK?

A total of 11 babies have been registered as Kaliya across the 3 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here.

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.