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BabyNames
Boy name#89 of boy names

Caleb

Pronounced K AE1 L EH1 B (ARPABET)

  • 3 syllables
  • Peaked 2002
  • 145 years in use
  • Biblical
  • 1 spelling
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How popular is Caleb?

Caleb is a boys' name, and has been in the record since the data starts in 1880. It has been given to 408,055 children — the 89th most common boys' name on record.

It has been slipping, down 39% on the previous decade. Its best single year was 2002, when 15,184 children were given it.

Kaleb is counted with it here, since the two are pronounced identically.

05,00010,00015,00020,00018901920195019802010
2002Boys: 15,184Girls: 26

Spelling variants

These spellings sound identical to Caleb and are counted together with it, which is why the totals here are higher than a single-spelling count.

  • Kaleb

Characteristics

  • Biblical (Person)
  • 3 syllables
Phonetic detail
Pronunciations:
K AE1 L EH1 B · K EY1 EY1 EH1 L EH1 B · K EY1 L AH0 B
Stress pattern:
11 · 1111 · 10
Syllables:
3

Stress digits mark unstressed (0), primary (1) and secondary (2) syllables.

Names like Caleb

Same first letter and syllable count, peaking around the same time.

Sibling names for Caleb

Names from the same era with a matching rhythm but a different initial.

Frequently asked questions

How popular is the name Caleb?
Caleb ranks 89th among boys' names in US records, with 408,055 births since 1880. Over the past decade it accounts for 84,512.
Is Caleb a unisex name?
No. Caleb is recorded almost entirely as a boys' name; births to the other gender are too few to register as a share.
When was Caleb most popular?
2002, when 15,184 children were given the name. It has been in use for 145 years and is still recorded as of 2024.
How else is Caleb spelled?
Kaleb. All of these sound the same and are counted together in the totals on this page.