Kaleia is a modern American variant of the Hawaiian Kalea, which is usually explained as "joy" or "happiness", with an -ia ending that gives it the lilt of Leia and Malia. It belongs to the island-inspired names that have spread from Hawaii across the mainland since the 2010s. In the United States Kaleia ranked number 12429 in 2000, peaked at number 1973 in 2023 and stands at number 2010 in 2025.