Kal
Kal was the 2320th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 60 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 2048th with 72 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 55 places. More babies were named Kal in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Cal) short for Calvin, Caleb, Calum and others · English, Hebrew, Latin
- Rank in 2025
- #2,320 boys, up 84 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 60boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 202172 babies
- Total since 1880
- 1,256babies recorded
What does the name Kal mean?
Kal is a spelling of Cal, pronounced the same way, so it shares Cal's meaning and origin.
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)
Kal popularity since 1880
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #2,320 | 60 |
| 2020 | #2,404 | 55 |
| 2010 | #5,140 | 18 |
| 2000 | #9,702 | 6 |
| 1990 | #4,284 | 13 |
| 1980 | — | — |
| 1970 | #5,089 | 5 |
| 1960 | #2,969 | 9 |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kal, counting every spelling?
Kal is a spelling of Cal, a name family that ranked #494 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #2,320 for Kal 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 Kal?
60 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kal (0.02 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kal 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 140 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kal.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kal?
About 1,200 people born in the US named Kal are alive today, with a median age of 11; half are between 5 and 27. That makes Kal a young name: most people with it are children.
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.
Kal by state
How common Kal was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. In 45 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kal: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kal, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kal
What does Kal mean?
Kal is a spelling of Cal, usually explained as “short for Calvin, Caleb, Calum and others”, but this is uncertain. Certainty: uncertain.
How popular is the name Kal?
Kal was the 2320th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 60 babies. Its best year was 2021, when it ranked 2048th with 72 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved up 55 places. More babies were named Kal in the 2010s than in any other decade.
Is Kal a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kal in the US.
Where is Kal most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kal was most common in South Dakota (0.27 per 1,000 boys), followed by Utah and Missouri.