Kalman
Masculine · “beautiful name”
Kalman comes from Greek Kalonymos, which means beautiful name — a name whose meaning is a compliment to itself.
How old is the name Kalman?
Kalman first appears in US birth records in 1912 — 113 years ago. The typical Kalman alive today was born around 1969, making them about 56 years old. About 800 people named Kalman are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kalman most popular?
Kalman peaked in 1914, reaching #1153 nationally. Today it ranks #4050, 2,897 places below that high. See the whole 1914 chart.
Where it comes from
From Kalonymos to Kalman
The story of Kalman
The Kalonymos family moved from Lucca to Mainz in the tenth century and became one of the great scholarly dynasties of Ashkenazi Judaism. The name shortened to Kalman in Yiddish and was paired as Kalonymus Kalman. Hungarian has a separate Kálmán from a Turkic word, and the two coexist in central Europe. It appears in American records around 1910 with Jewish and Hungarian emigration.
Meaning
beautiful name
From Greek kalos, beautiful, and onoma, a name; the Kalonymos family were prominent Jewish scholars in Italy and the Rhineland, and Hebrew rendered the name Shem Tov, good name, which is a direct translation.
How the name formed
- Kalonymos
- Kalman
Related forms: Kalman · Kálmán · Shem Tov
Pronouncing Kalman
KAHL-mun
Two syllables, first stressed. Hungarian Kálmán stresses the first with long vowels.
Nicknames for Kalman
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1912
- Most boys named
- 201726 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1153reached in 1914
- Change vs 2023
- +18.2%26 in 2025, from 22
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Kalman in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kalman in Yiddish — same name
- Kálmán in Hungarian — related form
- Shem Tov in Hebrew — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: New York, New Jersey.
Kalmans among us
people named Kalman are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 65,695 born in 2025 was named Kalman
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Kalman sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Kalman is headed
Kalman should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind. Its history is short or jumpy, though, so read this as a sketch rather than a promise.
Low confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Kalman beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Kalman in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- A settled meaning that is genuinely charming — a beautiful name meaning beautiful name.
- A documented scholarly family stands behind it.
- Six letters and two syllables, quick to write.
- The Hungarian Kálmán is a separate name at nearly the same sound.
- It is close to Coleman, an English surname, in an American ear.
- It is clearly marked as a Jewish or Hungarian name, which is usually the intention.
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What they receive
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Kalman
Masculine · #4050 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Kalmans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 800 people named Kalman are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kalman in 2025?
- Kalman ranks #4050 among US boy names in 2025, with 26 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Kalman?
- About 1 in every 65,695 US boys born in 2025 was named Kalman — 26 in all.
- Will my child share the name Kalman with classmates?
- Kalman will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Kalman
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Myer#4050 · Hewitt#4050 · Antonino#4050 · Egan#4050 · Johnmichael#4050 · Gauge#4050 · Emran#4050 · Freeman#4050
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kalman? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kalman and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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