Kala

Spellings & scripts●

Locally spelled Clara in BR Brazil, AR Argentina, ES Spain and 10 more, Klara in HU Hungary, CZ Czechia, PL Poland and 4 more, Клара in RU Russia, KZ Kazakhstan, UA Ukraine and 1 more and Kali in IN India, ID Indonesia, MY Malaysia.

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested across 14 languages in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Kala is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate name39K records spelled Kala5 spellings in the group

  Also written Kåla, Kalā, Kâla, Kālā

• a separate name17K records spelled Kala4 spellings in the group

  Also written Qala

• Hindi given name11K records spelled Kala142 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in India, Netherlands, United States, Pakistan

  Languages: Hindi, Indonesian, Vietnamese

  Also written Kalu, Kool, Kulu, Kullu, Kul

• Czech surname5.3K records spelled Kala5 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Czechia

  Also written Kála, Kälå, Kálá

• French name3.6K records spelled Kala7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in France

  Also written Kälá, Kàlà, Kâlā, Kãlã, Kåla

• Polish surname3.1K records spelled Kala7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Poland

  Also written Kała, Kala', Ķała, ̨kala, ̧kala

55 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Kala is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• time; fate; dark blue; black; death; the Supreme Spirit as a destroyer; the Indian cuckoo.

  as a name·The Penguin book of Hindu names for boys

• name for Siva (god of destruction); black, time

  as a name·A Genealogists Guide to Indian Names A Reference for First Names from India

• (Hin) name for the god Shiva; black, time

  as a name·A Genealogists Guide to Indian Names A Reference for First Names from India

• » Annapiirna (N); Bagala (N); Bhavani (N);

  as a name·Sunama Sarit (Hindi) Ten Thousand Sanskrit Names

• Aghora (९); Balarama (N); Batukabhairava

  as a name·Sunama Sarit (Hindi) Ten Thousand Sanskrit Names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

IN naampy — India given names from state electoral rolls (in-rolls) — 105 years between 1899–2017. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Kulno Kalab. 1936EEEstonian historian (1936-2021)
• Risto Kalab. 1941FIFinnish basketball player (1941–2021)
• Radosław Kalab. 1946PLPolish mathematician
• Tiit Kalab. 1954EEEstonian politician (born 1954)
• Aivar Kalab. 1957EEEstonian politician (born 1957)
• Miloslav Kalab. 1963CZCzech member of Czech Parliament (2002–2010) and mayor
• Kala Ramnathb. 1967INIndian musician
• Tiina Kalab. 1967EEEstonian historian (born 1967)
• Veikko Kalab. 1981EEEstonian diplomat (born 1981)
• Hüseyin Kalab. 1987TRTurkish association football player (born 1987)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 539 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Kala?

We estimate roughly 593 thousand people bear Kala (counting its spellings and scripts) across 14 countries in our records.

In which country does Kala have the most bearers?

Kala is most frequently recorded in Argentina, where it is most often spelled clara.

Where is Kala most common?

Measured as a share of residents rather than as a count, Kala is densest in the Czechia — about 1 in 135 people — even though Argentina holds more of our records for it.

How common is Kala compared with other names?

In Argentina, Kala is the 231st most common given name of 517,176 given names recorded there.

What does the name Kala mean?

Recorded meaning: Hindu name from Sanskrit kala with several meanings, including ‘art’, ‘skill’, and ‘a part of division of something’.