Cal
Cal was the 543rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 554 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 393rd; the most babies were born in 2025 (554). Over the last ten years it has moved up 712 places. More babies were named Cal in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Meaning short for Calvin, Caleb, Calum and others · English, Hebrew, Latin
Say it KAL /kæl/
- Rank in 2025
- #543 boys, up 394 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 554boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 2025554 babies
- Total since 1880
- 7,868babies recorded
What does the name Cal mean?
Cal is a short form of Caleb, Calum or Calvin, and occasionally for girls of Caroline, as Wiktionary notes. Each source has its own meaning. DMNES derives Caleb from Hebrew kelev, dog, and Calvin from Latin calvus, bald; Wiktionary also notes Cal as a nickname for California and for the University of California, Berkeley. Cal has been used in the US since 1880 and has become more common recently.
כָּלֵב (Biblical Hebrew, “dog (Caleb)”)calvus (Latin, “bald (Calvin)”)
How sure is this? Uncertain. Meaning depends on the full name; Calum's link with Columba is not covered by our sources.
Related names: Calvin, Caleb, Callum, Callie.
See also: English names.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Cal' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Caleb', DMNES (Durham University)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Calvin', DMNES (Durham University)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Cal popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 10 since 1954.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #543 | 554 |
| 2020 | #937 | 235 |
| 2010 | #1,728 | 88 |
| 2000 | #1,410 | 88 |
| 1990 | #1,876 | 41 |
| 1980 | #1,770 | 32 |
| 1970 | #1,375 | 37 |
| 1960 | #942 | 65 |
| 1950 | #1,235 | 34 |
| 1940 | #1,477 | 21 |
| 1930 | #1,700 | 19 |
| 1920 | #1,652 | 22 |
| 1910 | #1,054 | 10 |
| 1900 | #848 | 10 |
| 1890 | #540 | 13 |
| 1880 | #393 | 19 |
How popular is Cal, counting every spelling?
Cal is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #494 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #543 for Cal on its own. Together these spellings went to 614 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cal | 554 | #543 | 1,942 |
| Kal | 60 | #2,320 | 313 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Cal?
554 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Cal (0.15 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Cal born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 15 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Cal.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Cal?
About 6,400 people born in the US named Cal are alive today, with a median age of 14; half are between 4 and 34. That makes Cal mostly worn by children and young adults.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Cal by state
How common Cal was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Utah (6.3×), Iowa (4.3×), Nebraska (3.6×), Minnesota (3.1×), Wisconsin (3.1×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Alabama, Maryland, New Jersey.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Cal: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Cal, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Cal · Sibling names for Cal
Cal is also a nickname for Caleb, Calvin, Callum, Callan and Callahan.
Questions about the name Cal
What does Cal mean?
Cal is usually explained as “short for Calvin, Caleb, Calum and others”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Cal?
Cal was the 543rd most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 554 babies. Its best year was 1880, when it ranked 393rd; the most babies were born in 2025 (554). Over the last ten years it has moved up 712 places. More babies were named Cal in the 2020s than in any other decade.
Is Cal a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Cal in the US.
Where is Cal most popular?
In 2021–2025, Cal was most common in Utah (1.41 per 1,000 boys), followed by Iowa and Wyoming.