Baby Names US
boys' name ★ peaked 2025

Calum

Meaning dove Gender Boy Rank 2025 #799 Trend ↑ Rising 27%

From Scottish Gaelic Calum, from Late Latin Columba (literally “dove”), the name of a sixth century Scottish saint, one of the patron saints of Scotland.

Rank 2025
#799
among boys · ↑105 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
313
named Calum · +21% vs 2024
How common
1 in 5,457
boys born in 2025
Peak year
2025
313 babies
All-time total
3,506
#2,283 all-time among boys
First recorded
1978
in Social Security records

Calum popularity over time

3,506 babies have been named Calum since 1978, 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
0.050.10.150.218801900192019401960198020002020Peak 2025Boys

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 Boys Per year Change Best rank
1880s – – – –
1890s – – – –
1900s – – – –
1910s – – – –
1920s – – – –
1930s – – – –
1940s – – – –
1950s – – – –
1960s – – – –
1970s 5 1 – #5,916
1980s 33 3 +560% #5,219
1990s 288 29 +773% #1,991
2000s 496 50 +72% #2,120
2010s 1,023 102 +106% #919
2020s (to 2025) 1,661 277 +171% #799

Where Calum 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 328 0.19 outside top 500
2027 340 0.20 outside top 500
2028 352 0.21 outside top 500
2029 362 0.21 outside top 500
2030 370 0.22 outside top 500

Where Calum is most popular

Boys named Calum per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.165 per 1,000. Strongest in Utah, Iowa, and Wisconsin.

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 Calum 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
Utah 59 0.618 +276%
Iowa 27 0.392 +138%
Wisconsin 46 0.388 +136%
Minnesota 43 0.351 +113%
Ohio 85 0.321 +95%
Indiana 45 0.281 +71%
Nebraska 12 0.276 +68%
New Hampshire 6 0.270 +64%
Washington 44 0.269 +63%
Michigan 55 0.269 +63%
Colorado 34 0.263 +60%
Missouri 35 0.253 +53%
Pennsylvania 63 0.237 +44%
Kentucky 22 0.219 +33%
Kansas 14 0.204 +24%
Arizona 33 0.202 +23%
Massachusetts 27 0.196 +19%
Tennessee 34 0.188 +14%
Illinois 48 0.188 +14%
New Mexico 6 0.182 +11%
Idaho 7 0.171 ≈ national
Virginia 32 0.169 ≈ national
Oregon 11 0.145 -12%
North Carolina 37 0.145 -12%
California 122 0.133 -19%
Texas 102 0.116 -30%
Oklahoma 10 0.113 -31%
New York 45 0.104 -37%
Florida 43 0.091 -45%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -47%
Arkansas 5 0.079 -52%
South Carolina 7 0.068 -59%
New Jersey 12 0.060 -64%
Georgia 15 0.059 -64%
Alaska – – –
Alabama – – –
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
Louisiana – – –
Maryland – – –
Maine – – –
Montana – – –
North Dakota – – –
Nevada – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

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 Calum

Calum is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #799 in 2025 with 313 babies given the name. It is currently rising compared with a decade ago.

Since 1978, 3,506 American babies have been named Calum. Its peak came in 2025, when 313 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 2020s.

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 Calum stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Calum?

The median living Calum is about 6 years old; half are between 3 and 14. An estimated 3,500 people named Calum are alive in the United States today.

median 6 020406080100

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

Calum year by year

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

Year Boys Boys rank
2025 313 #799
2024 259 #904
2023 262 #889
2022 303 #817
2021 284 #838
2020 240 #929
2019 238 #919
2018 202 #1,018
2017 140 #1,294
2016 92 #1,696
2015 76 #1,914
2014 51 #2,466
2013 50 #2,465
2012 49 #2,523
2011 69 #1,990
2010 56 #2,289
2009 64 #2,123
2008 63 #2,145
2007 64 #2,120
2006 43 #2,702
2005 50 #2,332
2004 40 #2,647
2003 44 #2,397
2002 44 #2,342
2001 49 #2,121
2000 35 #2,629
1995 27 #2,693
1990 17 #3,485
1985 5 #6,664
1980 – –
1975 – –
1970 – –
1965 – –
1960 – –
1955 – –
1950 – –
1945 – –
1940 – –
1935 – –
1930 – –
1925 – –
1920 – –
1915 – –
1910 – –
1905 – –
1900 – –
1895 – –
1890 – –
1885 – –
1880 – –

Famous people named Calum

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

  1. 1 Calum Scott Calum Scott English singer and songwriter (born 1988) Contemporary
  2. 2 Calum Worthy Calum Worthy Canadian actor (born 1991) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

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

How old is the average Calum?

The median living Calum is about 6 years old. Half of all living Calums are between 3 and 14 years old.

How many people named Calum are alive today?

An estimated 3,500 people named Calum are alive in the United States, based on 3,506 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Calum mean?

From Scottish Gaelic Calum, from Late Latin Columba (literally “dove”), the name of a sixth century Scottish saint, one of the patron saints of Scotland.

How popular is the name Calum in 2025?

Calum ranked #799 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 313 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Calum?

3,506 babies have been named Calum in the United States since 1978, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Calum most popular?

Calum peaked in 2025, when 313 newborns received the name.

Is Calum a boy or girl name?

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

Is the name Calum rising or falling?

Calum is on the rise, noticeably more popular now than a decade ago.

Will Calum become more popular?

Calum is trending upward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 370 boys named Calum in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Calum?

Well-known people named Calum include Calum Scott (musician), Calum Worthy (actor).

Names like Calum

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

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