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Khalil as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Khalil

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The baby name Khalil is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Arabic IPA: /xɑˈliːl/ — common English approximations: KHA-leel or kuh-LEEL (/kəˈliːl/).

Khalil is Arabic in Origin.

Gender: Male
Syllables: 2.0
Origin: Arabic
Pronunciation: Arabic IPA: /xɑˈliːl/ — common English approximations: KHA-leel or kuh-LEEL (/kəˈliːl/)

What is the meaning of the name Khalil ?

The baby name Khalil is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced Arabic IPA: /xɑˈliːl/ — common English approximations: KHA-leel or kuh-LEEL (/kəˈliːl/).

Khalil is Arabic in Origin.

Khalil is an Arabic masculine name (خليل, ḵalīl) deriving from the Semitic root ḵ‑l‑l, denoting intimacy and friendship. It means “close friend,” “intimate companion,” or “beloved,” and in Islamic tradition it titles the prophet Abraham as Khalīl Allāh, “Friend of God,” lending the name a sacred, venerative aura. Attested in medieval Arabic biographical dictionaries and Sufi literature, it has been widely used across the Levant, North Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Persia, the Caucasus, and South Asia, appearing as both a given name and a family name.

Transliterations and regional forms include Khalil, Khaleel, Kahlil, and Kalil; Turkish and Bosnian Halil; Persian and Urdu Khalil; French-influenced Khélil; and Kurdish Xelîl. The feminine counterpart is Khalila/Khaleelah. In the West the spelling Kahlil gained recognition through the Lebanese-American writer Kahlil Gibran, boosting the name’s 20th‑century visibility and subsequent adoption in Europe and North America.

Khalil has the following similar or variant Names

Famous people with the name Khalil

Khalil Sultan Royal · Born 1384 · Timurid Empire Khalil Sultan was best known as the Timurid ruler of Transoxiana, ruling from 18 February 1405 to 1409. He was the son of Miran Shah and a grandson of Timur. Khalil Fong Actor · Born 1983 · United States Khalil Fong was a Hong Kong singer-songwriter best known for bringing R&B and soul influences into Chinese pop music. He was acclaimed for songs and albums like Love Love Love, Singalongsong, and Journey to the West, which won him the Golden Melody Award for Best Male Mandarin Singer. He lived from 1983 to 2025.

Khalil – Popularity by country

Based on birth registration data from national statistics agencies.

Country Gender Year Rank Born of
Ireland Boys 2025 #1 — 836
BW 0 #18 2 960
DJ Boys 0 #36 1 657
TN 0 #39 13,242 13,765
AZ 0 #42 2 706
AF 0 #45 32 1,883
AF Boys 0 #52 426 3,535
LB 0 #54 2,572 13,263
CM 0 #56 1 2,592
CY 0 #60 1 1,632
JO Boys 0 #60 1,601 7,057
OM 0 #65 53 6,215
IN 0 #71 1 2,963
PS Boys 0 #74 1,432 10,655
QA 0 #74 27 7,011
JP 0 #76 2 4,057
AO 0 #77 1 2,729
MV Boys 0 #77 3 3,375
JO 0 #78 63 2,158
DZ 0 #81 10,764 20,130
SD 0 #81 20 2,130
BH 0 #84 914 17,937
AF Girls 0 #85 10 2,402
CN 0 #86 1 3,857
JM 0 #91 3 3,714
KW 0 #93 24 5,216
KZ 0 #94 1 1,452
SY 0 #98 2,534 11,684
IQ 0 #102 28 3,533
PH 0 #109 2 5,607
BN Girls 0 #114 1 5,459
YE 0 #114 500 8,639
SD Boys 0 #116 632 10,523
CY Boys 0 #120 10 3,473
AE 0 #121 57 10,220
Norway Boys 2021 #123 4 431
BN Boys 0 #124 10 6,332
OM Boys 0 #125 2,046 17,948
PS 0 #127 93 5,692
MA 0 #129 13,088 20,986
AZ Boys 0 #131 1 1,400
GR 0 #133 3 3,911
ID Boys 0 #135 1 4,130
SA 0 #135 172 10,560
Switzerland Boys 2024 #136 2 1,769
MU 0 #136 2 3,613
AE Boys 0 #144 2,927 22,615
IL Boys 0 #144 1,115 10,983
SA Boys 0 #145 8,523 28,008
LT Boys 0 #150 2 2,166
IQ Boys 0 #156 1,310 13,071
MT Boys 0 #165 12 4,064
HU Boys 0 #171 4 3,954
Sweden Boys 2022 #173 10 1,509
EG Boys 0 #176 3,113 15,035
PR Boys 0 #176 3 2,508
LY 0 #179 559 12,703
IR Boys 0 #182 915 10,162
KW Boys 0 #188 1,010 18,755
RU 0 #191 4 3,641
DK 0 #200 7 5,198
GR Boys 0 #205 63 6,912
France Boys 2021 #206 209 2,865
DK Boys 0 #209 121 7,401
BD 0 #210 18 5,992
SI Boys 0 #211 1 3,402
PL 0 #212 1 2,600
LU Boys 0 #215 6 4,970
QA Boys 0 #215 727 18,093
BG Boys 0 #218 3 3,850
IR 0 #220 10 4,221
IL 0 #223 52 6,291
MO Boys 0 #231 4 5,842
AO Boys 0 #232 11 5,568
EC Boys 0 #246 1 3,322
GH 0 #248 1 5,396
GR Girls 0 #249 1 6,293
PT 0 #250 1 4,161
JM Boys 0 #253 20 6,876
TW Boys 0 #254 3 7,111
NG 0 #255 10 5,926
HR Boys 0 #259 1 3,997
Canada Boys 2024 #262 45 2,588
KZ Boys 0 #275 15 6,578
SG 0 #281 2 11,010
EG 0 #286 123 6,387
QA Girls 0 #292 25 15,378
JP Boys 0 #295 9 7,909
CN Boys 0 #298 22 9,639
CZ Boys 0 #301 5 6,530
AL Boys 0 #302 2 5,122
MY 0 #311 20 12,352
JO Girls 0 #314 12 7,570
MU Boys 0 #318 40 8,477
OM Girls 0 #323 74 15,987
DK Girls 0 #328 2 7,429
PE 0 #329 1 6,350
KZ Girls 0 #332 1 5,862
PL Boys 0 #332 9 6,459
SD Girls 0 #350 9 7,678
United States Boys 2024 #352 830 7,044
GH Boys 0 #356 6 8,138
BD Boys 0 #357 246 10,045
HK 0 #357 1 8,483
CN Girls 0 #359 1 8,829
PH Boys 0 #359 25 11,440
BR 0 #360 1 5,969
Finland Boys 0 #369 59 2,041
BD Girls 0 #372 15 8,413
NL 0 #375 17 2,481
PT Boys 0 #375 7 7,951
Austria Boys 0 #378 65 2,180
UY Boys 0 #409 5 5,922
Germany 0 #416 22 2,542
PH Girls 0 #429 1 13,098
CL 0 #433 2 6,867
RU Boys 0 #447 59 12,621
AR Boys 0 #456 12 7,628
AE Girls 0 #465 89 20,968
ZA 0 #468 7 14,421
PA Boys 0 #471 11 9,305
IQ Girls 0 #484 21 11,303
KW Girls 0 #488 28 19,177
PS Girls 0 #498 26 10,981
GT Boys 0 #499 1 7,625
CR Boys 0 #503 8 10,188
CO 0 #507 4 7,768
HK Boys 0 #507 21 12,905
IR Girls 0 #509 22 8,334
CM Boys 0 #511 40 12,054
Germany Boys 0 #517 530 5,697
RU Girls 0 #522 2 11,913
CM Girls 0 #560 1 11,671
MY Boys 0 #560 647 25,439
BO Boys 0 #582 11 9,244
SG Boys 0 #594 104 17,960
IL Girls 0 #601 17 11,648
Finland Boys 2026 #622 61 3,552
NG Boys 0 #624 378 16,906
SG Girls 0 #626 7 18,916
Spain Boys 0 #639 307 5,610
IN Girls 0 #646 9 13,121
HK Girls 0 #649 2 16,104
CL Boys 0 #654 12 13,390
SA Girls 0 #663 274 25,931
NL Boys 0 #670 290 5,873
IT 0 #673 42 4,183
IT Boys 0 #680 1,043 10,046
BR Boys 0 #700 52 12,213
TR 0 #702 758 19,440
IN Boys 0 #756 252 16,750
NG Girls 0 #772 15 15,093
Germany Girls 0 #829 10 4,949
PE Boys 0 #865 14 14,506
EG Girls 0 #904 56 14,742
CO Boys 0 #905 16 15,656
United States Girls 2023 #909 6 8,600
MX Boys 0 #963 20 16,355
Spain Girls 0 #971 13 5,561
MY Girls 0 #981 14 24,821
ZA Boys 0 #1,066 113 25,619
ZA Girls 0 #1,234 3 25,928
MX Girls 0 #1,264 4 17,781
IT Girls 0 #1,416 31 9,415

Khalil is popular in 86 countries — most recent births per country:

France
Canada
Norway
United States
Switzerland

Did we miss something about this name? Let us know!

People also ask about Khalil

Khalil is predominantly a boy's name.
Khalil is a 2 syllable name, pronounced Arabic IPA: /xɑˈliːl/ — common English approximations: KHA-leel or kuh-LEEL (/kəˈliːl/).
Common nicknames and spelling variations include Khaleel, Khaleel, Khalīl, Khelil, Kalil and Halil.
Across languages, Khalil has these equivalents: Rafiq (Arabic, 'companion, friend'), Halil (Turkish form), Khalīlullah (theophoric form: 'friend of God').
Yes, very popular — Khalil ranked #1 in Ireland in 2025, and appears in official birth registries across 10 countries.
Khalil ranks highest in Ireland (#1 in 2025).
Khalil's popularity is rising significantly. It moved from #262 in 2011 to #206 in 2021 in France.
Yes — 2 notable people named Khalil are in our database, including Khalil Sultan (Royal), Khalil Fong (Actor).