Caleb

What Caleb means

Possibly “dog”

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.

Source: Wiktionary, “Caleb” (revision 93542440), CC BY-SA 4.0. Quoted from the etymology; we don’t write our own.

How popular is Caleb?

US: Falling: down from #37 in 2015. England & Wales: Rising: up from #99 in 2015.

Biggest US share so far: 2002, when 11,665 boys got the name (#35 that year). First in the US records in 1880.

How common

• About 1 in 327 baby boys in the US in 2025
• About 1 in 436 baby boys in England and Wales in 2025
• About 1 in 216 baby boys in Scotland in 2025

“1 in N” divides by all listed births for that sex. The US list leaves out names given to fewer than 5 babies, and the UK lists leave out names given to 2 or fewer, so the real figure is a little rarer than shown.

Where in the US

Most popular in DC (7.12 per 1,000 boys), MD (5.5 per 1,000 boys), HI (5.48 per 1,000 boys) in 2025.

SSA state data, 2025. Share of all listed boys born in each state.

US vs UK

Caleb is #58 in the US and #82 in England & Wales (2025).

Same sex as this page (boys). SSA (US), ONS (England and Wales), NRS (Scotland).

Boy or girl?

In 2025, 99.9+% of US babies named Caleb were boys.

Counts below the publishing threshold (US 5, UK 3) are not included.

How to say it

IPA from Wiktionary.

Other spellings parents chose in 2025

• Kaleb1,143 US · 119 E&W
• Kayleb31 US
• Cayleb9 US
• Kalib7 US
• Kalob6 US
• Kaileb6 US
• Calob5 US
• Calebe5 US

Names that sound the same and differ by a letter or two, with baby counts for the same sex. US and E&W counts.

If you like Caleb

Boys

• Issac#915Variant of Isaac, meaning “he laughs, he will laugh”^*
• Gabriel#37Finnish, meaning “God is my strong man, God is my hero”^*
• Emanuel#574Spanish, meaning “God is with us”^*
• Ethan#24“firmness, strong, or long-lived”^*
• Isaiah#57Editor’s note Down from #49 in 2015 to #57 in 2025 in the US. About 1 in 320 US boys in the 2025 records
• Nathanael#632“God has given”^*

For a sister

• Abigail#41“my Father's joy”^*
• Makayla#566Form of Michael, meaning “who is like God?”^*
• Annika#995Editor’s note Peaked in the US in 2003, with 1,089 babies; 254 in 2025
• Daniela#302Form of Daniel, meaning “God is my judge”^*
• Isabel#176“my God is an oath”^*
• Jordyn#371Editor’s note Cooling off in the US: #136 in 2015, #371 in 2025

Picked from the US top 1,000 in 2025: names Wiktionary also files under Bible, Hebrew, whose US popularity since 1990 rose and fell most like Caleb’s. Rank is US 2025.