Caleb

Spellings & scripts●

Spellings marked ● are how people bearing the name write it in our records; ○ marks a model's transliteration. Click a spelling to open its page.

Meaning & origin●

Attested in 1 language in the etymology graph.

Languages●

Language is read off each record's context, not declared by the bearer; a share is of all records for this spelling.

Other names spelled this way◐

Caleb is also recorded as 6 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• Portuguese given name234K records spelled Caleb21 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Brazil, United States, Argentina, Peru

  Languages: Portuguese, Spanish, French

  Also written Caléb, Cáléb, Cälëb, Calèb, Cälęb

• Swahili given name58K records spelled Caleb4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kenya, United States, Nigeria, Zambia

  Languages: Swahili, Southern Sotho, Kinyarwanda

  Also written Çaleb

• Hindi given name4.7K records spelled Caleb7 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, India, United Kingdom, Malaysia

  Languages: Hindi, Sinhala, Urdu

  Also written Cäleb

• Hebrew given name3.6K records spelled Caleb18 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Israel, Ethiopia, Bulgaria

  Languages: Hebrew, Arabic, Amharic

  Also written כלב, Kaleb, קלב, ካሌብ, קאלב

• Polish given name3.2K records spelled Caleb33 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Poland, Croatia, United Kingdom

  Languages: Polish, Russian, Croatian

  Also written Kaleb, Калеб, Келеб, Кейлеб, Кэлеб

• Albanian given name1.3K records spelled Caleb2 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in United States, Albania

  Also written Câlêb

55 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Other recorded senses●

Caleb is also recorded in 5 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• Most likely derived from the Hebrew 'kelev' (dog), implying loyalty or servitude; traditionally interpreted by some as 'wholehearted' (kol-lev).

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• He symbolizes unwavering faith, courage against the majority opinion, and the vigor of the righteous in old age.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• A name implying devotion, faithfulness, and bravery.

  as a name·Biblical Names Compiled Database

• In French, Biblical Hebrew name, from kālēb meaning 'dog'.

  as a name·Le grand guide des prénoms (Enfant - Education)

• Biblical name, borne by an early Israelite, one of only two of those who set out with Moses from Egypt to live long enough to enter the promised land (Numbers 26:65). The name, which is apparently derived from the word for ‘dog’ in Hebrew, is said in some traditions to symbolize his devotion to God. It was popular among the Puritans and was introduced by them to America, where it is still in use.

  as a name·A concise dictionary of first names

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

Over time●

US SSA — National Baby Names (1880–present) — 146 years between 1880–2025. One register's own figures, never a sum across registers: two registers counting the same people would double them.

Notable people with this name●

• Caleb Strongb. 1745USMassachusetts lawyer, governor, and US senator 1745-1819
• Caleb Cushingb. 1800USAmerican politician (1800-1879)
• Caleb Bradhamb. 1867USAmerican pharmacist, inventor of Pepsi-Cola
• Caleb Deschanelb. 1944USAmerican cinematographer and director of film and television
• Caleb Carrb. 1955USAmerican novelist, screenwriter and military historian (1955–2024)
• Casey Affleckb. 1975USnot in their usual nameAmerican actor
• Caleb Landry Jonesb. 1989USAmerican actor
• Caleb Martinb. 1995USAmerican basketball player (born 1995)
• Caleb Swaniganb. 1997USAmerican basketball player (1997–2022)
• Caleb McLaughlinb. 2001USAmerican actor (born 2001)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Evidence●

Register rows as of the 2026-09-12 data build · 970 rows in the corpus for this spelling.

Frequently asked questions

How common is the name Caleb?

We estimate roughly 289 thousand people bear Caleb (counting its spellings and scripts) across 10 countries in our records.

In which country does Caleb have the most bearers?

We estimate about 264 thousand people bear Caleb in the United States, more than in any other country in our records, where it is most often spelled caleb.

How common is Caleb compared with other names?

In the United States, Caleb is the 689th most common given name of 3,122,706 given names recorded there.

Is Caleb a male or female name?

Caleb is a male name in our records. Opposite-gender entries fall within the cross-gender noise we measure in the source data, so we don't report them as usage.

What does the name Caleb mean?

Recorded meaning: The name Caleb is related to the Hebrew word for 'dog' (כֶּלֶב, kelev), which can connote faithfulness or, in ancient Near Eastern contexts, servitude.