boy's name
Khalil
kah-LEEL
- Origin Arabic
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 32,845
the United States
#384
2025 births
Khalil is a boy's name of Arabic origin meaning "friend" — specifically a close and trusted one. It is a title of Abraham in Islam, Khalil Allah, the friend of God, which gives the name a standing beyond its everyday sense.
- Khalil is a name of Arabic origin.
- Peaked in 2020, when 1,242 babies were given the name.
- It has been rising over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 4,014 babies in the United States is given this name.
- First appears in US birth records in 1957.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Khalil over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1950s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1950s | 5 |
| 1960s | 68 |
| 1970s | 370 |
| 1980s | 800 |
| 1990s | 4,957 |
| 2000s | 5,879 |
| 2010s | 6,993 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 6,131 |
What Khalil means
Khalil means a close friend or intimate companion, from a root about deep and lasting attachment. It is stronger than the ordinary Arabic word for friend, which is why it works as a religious title.
Where Khalil comes from
Khalil comes from the Arabic khalil, a bosom friend, from a root conveying penetration or permeation — a friend who has entered one's inner life. The Quran names Abraham as Khalil Allah, the friend of God, and the city of Hebron is called al-Khalil in Arabic for that reason, since Abraham is buried there. The name is used across the Arabic-speaking world and beyond it in Muslim communities. Kahlil Gibran, the Lebanese-American author of The Prophet, carried a variant spelling into English-language fame in the 1920s.
Khalil in use
Khalil charts in five of the seven countries we track and peaked in 2020.
How popular is Khalil?
In 2025, Khalil was given to 826 babies in the United States, ranking #384 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Khalil is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Khalil is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Khalîl | Khalîl is a rare spelling of Khalil, written with a circumflex and recorded about 5 times, mostly in France. | 5 |
Names that peaked alongside Khalil
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Khalil also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Khalil over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Khalil
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Khalil in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Khalil
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Khalil — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Khalil
What does the name Khalil mean?
A close friend, from the Arabic khalil — stronger than the everyday word for friend.
Is Khalil a religious name?
It carries religious weight: the Quran calls Abraham Khalil Allah, the friend of God, and Hebron is called al-Khalil for that reason.
How do you pronounce Khalil?
kah-LEEL, with the stress on the second syllable.
How popular is the name Khalil?
In 2025, Khalil was given to 826 babies in the United States, ranking #384 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Khalil a girl's or a boy's name?
Khalil is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Khalil?
Khalil has 2 syllables.
When was Khalil most popular?
Khalil peaked in 2020, when 1,242 babies were given the name. It has been rising over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Khalil?
Khalil is usually shortened to Khal.
Is Khalil a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Khalil currently ranks #247 in the United States. It has been rising over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.