Kaleo

• Origin: Hawaiian
• Meaning: “the voice,” “the sound”
• Gender: Male
• Pronunciation: kah-LEH-oh

The name is derived from the Hawaiian phrase ka leo, composed of ka, meaning “the,” and leo, meaning “voice,” “sound” or “tone.”

It is the name of KALEO, an Icelandic rock band formed in 2012 and best known internationally for its 2015 single “Way Down We Go.” The band’s name was deliberately taken from the Hawaiian phrase meaning “the voice” or “the sound.”

Kaleo entered the U.S. Top 1000 Male Names for the first time in 2025, ranking at #897. Its increased visibility may have been encouraged by the international success of KALEO, as well as the growing popularity of short Hawaiian names such as Kai, Koa and Keanu.

Sources

• https://www.behindthename.com/name/kaleo
• https://www.wehewehe.org/gsdl2.85/cgi-bin/hdict?l=en