Kamela
Feminine
Kamela can be read two ways and both are ordinary. With a k it looks like an American respelling of a European name, and it is also, letter for letter, how Indian names of this shape are usually transliterated.
How old is the name Kamela?
Kamela first appears in US birth records in 1960 — 65 years ago. The typical Kamela alive today was born around 1978, making them about 47 years old. About 700 people named Kamela are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Kamela most popular?
Kamela peaked in 1968, reaching #1940 nationally. See the whole 1968 chart.
Where it comes from
Origin, sound and short forms
Our story of Kamela
Transliterating Indian languages into the Latin alphabet has never had one agreed system, but it has a convention: a k where English might write c, because c in English is ambiguous and k is not. That is why Kolkata, Karnataka, Krishna and Kamala are spelled as they are, and it is a deliberate choice by people writing the sound accurately rather than a stylistic flourish. An American reader who sees a k in a name and assumes a modern respelling will be right a good deal of the time and wrong whenever the name came from South Asia, where the k is the careful spelling and the c would be the sloppy one.
Meaningnot established
Not established
If the name is Indian, the Sanskrit word behind that family is documented and names a flower. If it is a respelling of Camilla or Camela, the origin is Roman and quite different. The record holds the spelling and does not say which road it came by.
Pronouncing Kamela
kuh-MEL-uh
Three syllables with the weight in the middle. Indian-language readings put the stress on the first syllable instead.
Nicknames for Kamela
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
- 1960
- Most girls named
- 196939 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #1940reached in 1968
- Change vs 2022
- 0.0%10 in 2023, from 10
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.
Kamela in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Kamala in Hindi — related form
Kamelas among us
people named Kamela are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Kamela sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- Kam comes off the front as a short form and works for either sex.
- It reads plausibly in more than one tradition, which is useful in a mixed household.
- Three syllables with a clear stress carry well across a room.
- Two stress patterns are in circulation depending on which tradition the reader assumes.
- Camila, Kamala and Camela are all in the record and will be confused with it.
- No origin is documented for this spelling, so the meaning question has two candidates and no answer.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Kamela to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Kamela? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Kamela
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Kamelas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 700 people named Kamela are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Kamela in 2025?
- Kamela is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Kamela with classmates?
- Kamela will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More K names
The most-given names starting with K, all years combined.
Karen#1279 · Kimberly#302 · Kathleen#1150 · Katherine#186 · Kelly#851 · Kathryn#729 · Kayla#364 · Kathy#3249
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Kamela? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Kamela and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle