FastNamesCaleb
Hebrew name meaning "Derived from Hebrew Kalev (כָּלֵב), most commonly interpreted as 'faithful', 'devoted', or 'whole-hearted' (from kol 'all, whole' and lev 'heart'), or cognate with kelev meaning 'dog' (symbol of staunch loyalty).". Ranked 58th for boys in 2025.
Meaning and origin of Caleb
Derived from Hebrew Kalev (כָּלֵב), most commonly interpreted as 'faithful', 'devoted', or 'whole-hearted' (from kol 'all, whole' and lev 'heart'), or cognate with kelev meaning 'dog' (symbol of staunch loyalty).
Linguistically, Caleb is classified under Hebrew naming traditions. It is typically pronounced "KAY-ləb".
Popularity and ranking
In official US Social Security birth records from 1880 through 2025, Caleb has been given to a total of 324,350 boys. It has also been given to 653 girls.
Peak year: Caleb reached its highest relative share among boys in 2002, when 11,665 babies received the name (6,008 per million births).
All-time best rank: 31st place, first achieved in 2009.
Recent standing (2025): Ranked 58th with 5,217 births. Ten years earlier in 2015, it ranked 37th (down 21 spots).
Busiest decade: More boys were named Caleb in the 2000s than in any other decade (110,087 births).
| Decade | Recorded births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 182 |
| 1890s | 89 |
| 1900s | 106 |
| 1910s | 317 |
| 1920s | 416 |
| 1930s | 316 |
| 1940s | 312 |
| 1950s | 416 |
| 1960s | 518 |
| 1970s | 4,012 |
| 1980s | 20,644 |
| 1990s | 66,298 |
| 2000s | 110,087 |
| 2010s | 86,734 |
| 2020s | 33,903 |
Source: Social Security Administration, national baby name data, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
Where Caleb is most common in the US
Accounting for when Caleb was in fashion nationally, it has been most heavily concentrated in the following states (measured against the expected rate from each state's births):
- Vermont: 2.0 times the national rate (779 births since 1910).
- Maine: 1.8 times the national rate (1,841 births since 1910).
- Wyoming: 1.7 times the national rate (619 births since 1910).
- Montana: 1.7 times the national rate (1,266 births since 1910).
- West Virginia: 1.6 times the national rate (2,632 births since 1910).
Source: Social Security Administration, baby names by state, data through 2025. Names given to fewer than five babies of one sex in a state in a year aren't published, so totals are a little lower than actual births.
How many people have the name Caleb?
About 316,000 living American boys and men share the name Caleb. Additionally, an estimated 640 living American girls and women share the name.
The median age of an American named Caleb is 20 years old.
Estimated from Social Security Administration records (1880–2025) and official SSA cohort mortality tables.
History of the name Caleb
In the Hebrew Bible, Caleb the son of Jephunneh was one of the twelve chieftains sent by Moses from Kadesh-Barnea to spy out the Promised Land of Canaan (Numbers 13–14). While ten scouts brought back a disheartening report that discouraged the Israelites, Caleb and Joshua stood resolute in their faith, urging the people to advance. In recognition of his wholehearted devotion, Caleb was one of only two adults of the exodus generation permitted to enter the Promised Land.
Caleb was widely adopted as a personal name during the English Reformation and among seventeenth-century Puritan colonists in New England, who favored biblical figures renowned for steadfast courage and spiritual fidelity. It appeared consistently across colonial censuses and early American land registries.
In modern American vital statistics, Caleb witnessed a remarkable mid-twentieth-century resurgence. Rising from relative obscurity in the 1960s, it ascended steadily into the national top fifty in 1996 and reached its peak in the early 2000s, holding a strong position in the national top forty for two decades as parents sought authentic biblical names with warm, modern cadence.
Notable people named Caleb
- Caleb Carr (1955–2024), American novelist and military historian
- Caleb Followill (1982–), American musician and lead vocalist of Kings of Leon
- Caleb McLaughlin (2001–), American actor known for Stranger Things
- Caleb Williams (2001–), American football quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner
Variants and related names
Spelling variants
Diminutives and nicknames
Related names
Sources and references
- Patrick Hanks, Kate Hardcastle, Flavia Hodges. A Dictionary of First Names (2006), p. 45.
- E. G. Withycombe. The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names (1977), p. 61.
- Francis Brown, S. R. Driver, Charles A. Briggs. A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament (1906), p. 477.