Caleb
Meaningdog, faithful · Hebrew
- US rank
- #58
- Syllables
- 2
- Peak
- #31 in 2009
5,217 babies were named Caleb in the US in 2025. It has dropped 2 places in five years.
Found on lists
Save adds it to your list. Vote moves it up the top voted names.
US births per million boys, 1880–2025
Most popular states (2025)
Similar names
Popularity: U.S. Social Security Administration (babies with 5+ births per year).
Did you know?
A few things about Caleb you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.
Famous Caleb
Caleb Landry Jones
American actor
Choose Caleb and your child shares a first name with Caleb Landry Jones, an American actor. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Caleb, like who?” Caleb Landry Jones's Wikipedia article is available in 35 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.
Read about Caleb Landry Jones on Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)Photo: Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0 (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons
- How commonAbout 1 in every 327 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Caleb, 5,217 babies in all. In a school of 500 kids, there'd probably be one other Caleb.
- HistoryCaleb has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Calebs, and counting.
- Best yearIts best year was 2009, when it reached #31.
- Where it's lovedCaleb is most popular in Maryland, where it ranks #27, followed by Washington, D.C. (#39) and Florida (#39). It makes the top 1,000 in almost every state.
- MeaningIn Hebrew, Caleb means “dog, faithful”. Our records link it to Arabic and Hebrew roots.
- OriginCaleb is the most popular Arabic boy name in the US. That's out of 169 Arabic boy and unisex names in our list.
About the name Caleb
Caleb is a boy name of Arabic and Hebrew origin meaning “dog, faithful”. It has 5 letters and 2 syllables, starting with C and ending in “-leb”. US birth records list Caleb for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked #31 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #58, with 5,217 babies.
Origin:Arabic namesHebrew names
| Decade | Babies per million | About 1 in |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 166 | 6,024 boys |
| 1890s | 78 | 12,857 boys |
| 1900s | 79 | 12,711 boys |
| 1910s | 51 | 19,440 boys |
| 1920s | 38 | 26,469 boys |
| 1930s | 30 | 33,322 boys |
| 1940s | 21 | 47,438 boys |
| 1950s | 21 | 48,685 boys |
| 1960s | 27 | 36,724 boys |
| 1970s | 245 | 4,080 boys |
| 1980s | 1,106 | 904 boys |
| 1990s | 3,426 | 292 boys |
| 2000s | 5,519 | 181 boys |
| 2010s | 4,601 | 217 boys |
| 2020s | 3,271 | 306 boys |
Other spellings of Caleb
More Arabic boy names
- Boy name: Silas · of the forest
- Boy name: Aaron · possibly exalted
- Boy name: Xavier · new house
- Boy name: Jasper · treasurer
- Boy name: Malcolm · devotee of Saint Columba
- Unisex name: Cairo · the victorious
- Boy name: Ibrahim · father of many
- Boy name: Zain · beauty, grace
Questions about the name Caleb
What does the name Caleb mean?
Caleb means “dog, faithful” in Hebrew.
What is the origin of the name Caleb?
Caleb has Arabic, Hebrew roots in our records. Other Arabic names include Silas, Aaron, Xavier.
Is Caleb a boy or girl name?
Caleb is a boy name.
How popular is the name Caleb?
Caleb ranked #58 for US boys in 2025, given to 5,217 babies. Its best year was 2009 (#31).