Kalayah is a modern American coinage that combines the Ka- opening of Kalani and Kamiyah with the -layah ending of Aaliyah and Alayah, so it is usually explained as "exalted" by way of the Arabic Aaliyah. Like its models it is used mostly in African American families. Kalayah has risen from number 3408 in 2015 to a peak of number 1531 in 2024 and ranks at number 1617 in 2025.