boys' name ★ peaked 2002

Caleb

Meaning dog Gender Boy Rank 2025 #58 Trend ↓ Falling 10%

From Late Latin Caleb, Calebus, from Koine Greek Χάλεβ (Kháleb), from Biblical Hebrew כָּלֵב (Kālēḇ), possibly related to כֶּלֶב (keleḇ, “dog”), referring to the…

Rank 2025
#58
among boys · ↓9 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
5,217
named Caleb · -10% vs 2024
How common
1 in 327
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2002
11,684 babies
All-time total
325,003
#107 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Caleb popularity over time

325,003 babies have been named Caleb since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
1.883.755.637.518801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 182 182 18 – #327
1890s – 89 89 9 -51% #601
1900s – 106 106 11 +19% #648
1910s – 317 317 32 +199% #787
1920s – 416 416 42 +31% #904
1930s – 316 316 32 -24% #1,006
1940s – 312 312 31 -1% #1,096
1950s – 416 416 42 +33% #1,029
1960s – 518 518 52 +25% #873
1970s – 4,012 4,012 401 +675% #247
1980s 125 20,644 20,769 2,077 +418% #91
1990s 148 66,298 66,446 6,645 +220% #41
2000s 216 110,087 110,303 11,030 +66% #31
2010s 120 86,734 86,854 8,685 -21% #32
2020s (to 2025) 44 33,903 33,947 5,658 -35% #49

Where Caleb is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 5,114 2.99 #61
2027 5,027 2.94 #63
2028 4,955 2.90 #64
2029 4,894 2.87 #64
2030 4,844 2.84 #66

Where Caleb is most popular

Boys named Caleb per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 3.28 per 1,000. Strongest in Delaware, Rhode Island, and Hawaii.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Caleb born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Delaware 105 6.92 +111%
Rhode Island 107 6.56 +100%
Hawaii 94 6.05 +85%
Maryland 721 6.05 +85%
Connecticut 401 5.92 +81%
Alaska 67 5.63 +72%
District of Columbia 83 5.62 +72%
Massachusetts 672 4.89 +49%
New Hampshire 107 4.82 +47%
Virginia 871 4.59 +40%
Montana 79 4.48 +37%
New Jersey 895 4.45 +36%
Pennsylvania 1,180 4.44 +36%
Florida 2,028 4.28 +31%
New Mexico 140 4.25 +30%
South Carolina 410 3.97 +21%
California 3,612 3.95 +21%
North Dakota 67 3.92 +20%
North Carolina 997 3.90 +19%
Nevada 221 3.88 +18%
Texas 3,355 3.81 +16%
Minnesota 466 3.80 +16%
Washington 620 3.79 +16%
Oregon 285 3.75 +15%
South Dakota 69 3.71 +13%
Alabama 405 3.70 +13%
Arizona 605 3.70 +13%
Wisconsin 435 3.67 +12%
Georgia 928 3.66 +12%
Vermont 23 3.66 +12%
Colorado 469 3.63 +11%
Wyoming 21 3.63 +11%
New York 1,568 3.62 +11%
Illinois 880 3.44 +5%
Mississippi 189 3.33 ≈ national
Indiana 527 3.29 ≈ national
Tennessee 589 3.26 ≈ national
Kentucky 325 3.24 ≈ national
Kansas 219 3.19 ≈ national
Arkansas 201 3.18 ≈ national
Michigan 650 3.17 ≈ national
Ohio 834 3.15 ≈ national
Maine 61 3.14 ≈ national
Nebraska 133 3.06 -7%
Idaho 124 3.03 -7%
Utah 285 2.99 -9%
Iowa 189 2.74 -16%
Louisiana 272 2.66 -19%
Missouri 367 2.65 -19%
Oklahoma 232 2.62 -20%
West Virginia 83 2.54 -22%

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Caleb

Caleb is a top-100 name for boys in the United States, ranked #58 in 2025 with 5,217 babies given the name. It is currently declining compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 325,003 American babies have been named Caleb. Its peak came in 2002, when 11,684 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2000s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Caleb stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Caleb?

The median living Caleb is about 19 years old; half are between 11 and 27. An estimated 318 thousand people named Caleb are alive in the United States today.

median 19 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Caleb year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 5,217 #58
2024 9 #10,431 5,795 #49
2023 8 #11,371 5,533 #51
2022 12 #8,632 5,778 #52
2021 9 #10,448 5,964 #51
2020 6 #13,773 5,616 #56
2019 13 #8,223 6,416 #51
2018 5 #16,143 6,997 #45
2017 10 #10,107 7,154 #50
2016 9 #11,050 7,982 #44
2015 11 #9,598 8,826 #37
2014 14 #8,139 9,245 #35
2013 16 #7,457 9,612 #32
2012 15 #7,891 9,977 #32
2011 9 #11,352 10,040 #32
2010 18 #6,969 10,485 #32
2009 13 #8,994 11,001 #31
2008 10 #10,945 10,579 #34
2007 10 #10,969 10,954 #36
2006 10 #10,736 11,001 #34
2005 25 #5,137 10,894 #35
2004 60 #2,718 11,307 #33
2003 23 #5,267 11,643 #34
2002 19 #5,940 11,665 #35
2001 27 #4,467 11,177 #37
2000 19 #5,743 9,866 #38
1995 12 #7,124 6,655 #54
1990 11 #7,376 4,154 #88
1985 13 #5,400 2,083 #136
1980 8 #7,504 980 #235
1975 – – 415 #381
1970 – – 94 #832
1965 – – 41 #1,193
1960 – – 50 #1,100
1955 – – 40 #1,185
1950 – – 36 #1,205
1945 – – 19 #1,541
1940 – – 30 #1,229
1935 – – 28 #1,274
1930 – – 21 #1,608
1925 – – 56 #904
1920 – – 52 #960
1915 – – 39 #1,018
1910 – – 15 #787
1905 – – 9 #847
1900 – – 11 #794
1895 – – 10 #696
1890 – – 8 #754
1885 – – 16 #465
1880 – – 27 #327

Famous people named Caleb

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Caleb Landry Jones Caleb Landry Jones American actor and musician b. 1989 · Contemporary
  2. 2 Caleb McLaughlin Caleb McLaughlin American actor (born 2001) Contemporary
  3. 3 Caleb Deschanel Caleb Deschanel American cinematographer and film director (born 1944) Contemporary
  4. 4 Caleb Ewan Caleb Ewan Australian road and track cyclist b. 1994 · Contemporary
  5. 5 Caleb Cushing Caleb Cushing American politician & diplomat (1800–1879) 18th century
  6. 6 Caleb Strong Caleb Strong American Founding Father and politician (1745–1819) 18th century

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Caleb, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Caleb?

The median living Caleb is about 19 years old. Half of all living Calebs are between 11 and 27 years old.

How many people named Caleb are alive today?

An estimated 318 thousand people named Caleb are alive in the United States, based on 325,003 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Caleb mean?

From Late Latin Caleb, Calebus, from Koine Greek Χάλεβ (Kháleb), from Biblical Hebrew כָּלֵב (Kālēḇ), possibly related to כֶּלֶב (keleḇ, “dog”), referring to the unconditional devotion of dogs to their masters.

How popular is the name Caleb in 2025?

Caleb ranked #58 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 5,217 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Caleb?

325,003 babies have been named Caleb in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Caleb most popular?

Caleb peaked in 2002, when 11,684 newborns received the name.

Is Caleb a boy or girl name?

Caleb is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Caleb rising or falling?

Caleb is declining, less popular now than a decade ago.

Will Caleb become more popular?

Caleb is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 4,844 boys named Caleb in 2030, which would rank around #66. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Caleb?

Well-known people named Caleb include Caleb Landry Jones (actor), Caleb McLaughlin (actor), Caleb Deschanel (film director).

Names like Caleb

Names that sound and feel close to Caleb: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Caleb with similar names → More names starting with C →