UK boy's name
Khaleel
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "friend" or "close companion".
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.
Khaleel is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Khaleel popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2024 in this profile. In that release it ranked #981, with 31 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2024, with 31 births.
This profile covers 426 England and Wales registrations across 29 recorded years from 1996 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.
Khaleel is at its recorded peak in the England and Wales series.
We estimate that about 423 living people in the UK are called Khaleel. 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
- • Khaleel ranked #981 for boys in England and Wales in 2024, with 31 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2024, when 31 boys were registered as Khaleel.
- • About 423 living people in the UK are estimated to have Khaleel as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#981
2024
Births in 2024
31
Latest year
Peak year
2024
31 births
Estimated living
423
2026
Meaning
What does Khaleel mean?
The name Khaleel has its origins in the Arabic language and culture. It is derived from the Arabic word "khalil" which means "friend" or "beloved". The name was commonly used in the Middle East and North Africa regions during the medieval Islamic era.
One of the earliest known references to the name Khaleel can be found in the Quran, the holy book of Islam. It is mentioned as one of the names attributed to the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham) in the verse "And Allah took Ibrahim as a Khalil" (Quran 4:125), meaning a close friend or beloved of Allah.
The first recorded person with the name Khaleel was Khaleel ibn Ahmad al-Farahidi (718-786 CE), an Arab philologist and lexicographer from Basra, Iraq. He is considered one of the pioneers of Arabic linguistics and the author of the first Arabic dictionary, Kitab al-Ayn.
Another notable historical figure with the name Khaleel was Khaleel ibn Shahin al-Zahiri (776-845 CE), an Arab jurist and scholar from Baghdad. He was a prominent figure in the Zahiri school of Islamic jurisprudence and wrote several influential works on Islamic law.
In the 11th century, Khaleel ibn Aybak al-Safadi (1029-1090 CE) was a renowned Arab poet and literary critic from Safad, Palestine. His poetry was widely celebrated during his lifetime, and he is considered one of the greatest poets of the Abbasid era.
During the Mamluk period in Egypt, Khaleel ibn Aybak al-Tawrizi (1235-1299 CE) was a prominent Arab astronomer and mathematician from Damascus. He made significant contributions to the fields of astronomy and trigonometry and wrote several works on these subjects.
In the 14th century, Khaleel ibn Aybak al-Mansuri (1313-1384 CE) was a celebrated Arab physician and philosopher from Cairo, Egypt. He was known for his expertise in medicine and his philosophical writings, which were influenced by the works of Aristotle and Avicenna.
These are just a few examples of notable historical figures who bore the name Khaleel. The name has a rich cultural and linguistic heritage, and its meaning as "friend" or "beloved" has been a source of inspiration for many throughout history.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Khaleel over time
The chart below shows babies named Khaleel registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 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 Khaleel, the clearest high point is 2024. The latest England and Wales figure is 31 births in 2024, compared with 31 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Khaleel by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Khaleel 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 | #1093 | 131 | 5 |
| 2010s | #1652 | 147 | 10 |
| 2000s | #1618 | 107 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1417 | 41 | 4 |
Related
Names similar to Khaleel
- Kieran 30,429
- Kyle 28,463
- Kai 24,432
- Kian 17,666
- Kayden 8,305
- Kevin 7,927
- Kane 7,149
- Kaiden 5,762
- Kieron 4,547
- Kacper 4,366
- Kye 4,012
- Kit 3,529
FAQ
Khaleel: questions and answers
How popular is the name Khaleel in the UK right now?
In 2024, Khaleel was ranked #981 for boys in England and Wales, with 31 births registered.
When was Khaleel most popular?
The peak year on record was 2024, with 31 babies registered as Khaleel in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Khaleel?
A masculine name of Arabic origin meaning "friend" or "close companion".
How many people are called Khaleel in the UK?
A total of 426 babies have been registered as Khaleel across the 29 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.