Kaleb
Kaleb was the 295th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,143 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 108th; the most babies were born in 2007 (3,819). Over the last ten years it has moved down 131 places. More babies were named Kaleb in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Meaning (as Caleb) dog (debated) · Hebrew
- Rank in 2025
- #295 boys, down 64 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 1,143boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 20073,819 babies
- Total since 1880
- 86,851babies recorded
What does the name Kaleb mean?
Kaleb is a spelling of Caleb, pronounced the same way, so it shares Caleb's meaning and origin.
Caleb is a biblical name: Caleb son of Jephunneh is one of the scouts Moses sends into Canaan, and one of the few of his generation allowed to enter it. The Hebrew form is Kalev. DMNES connects it with the Hebrew word for 'dog', and Wiktionary also gives that link, though it marks it as 'possibly', with the idea of a dog's devotion to its master. The link is the usual view but not a certainty. DMNES finds it in English records from the 1570s, and it spread mainly through Puritan naming.
כָּלֵב (Biblical Hebrew, “Kalev; compare כֶּלֶב keleḇ, 'dog'”)
How sure is this? Probable. The 'dog' link is the usual explanation; Wiktionary marks it as possible rather than certain.
Related names: Kaleb, Kalev, Cale.
See also: Hebrew names.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Caleb', Durham University / The DMNES Editors
- Hebrew Bible, Numbers 13:6, JPS translation with notes (via Sefaria), Sefaria; verse reference and facts only, not quoted
- Wiktionary, entry 'Caleb', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation); facts restated, no text reused
Kaleb popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 202 since 1983.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #295 | 1,143 |
| 2020 | #231 | 1,614 |
| 2010 | #118 | 3,429 |
| 2000 | #141 | 2,743 |
| 1990 | #304 | 835 |
| 1980 | #806 | 119 |
| 1970 | #4,493 | 6 |
| 1960 | — | — |
| 1950 | — | — |
| 1940 | — | — |
| 1930 | — | — |
| 1920 | — | — |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Kaleb, counting every spelling?
Kaleb is a spelling of Caleb, a name family that ranked #47 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #295 for Kaleb on its own. Together these spellings went to 6,365 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb | 5,217 | #58 | 28,287 |
| Kaleb | 1,143 | #295 | 6,407 |
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 Kaleb?
1,143 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Kaleb (0.32 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Kaleb 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 7 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Kaleb.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Kaleb?
About 85,200 people born in the US named Kaleb are alive today, with a median age of 19; half are between 13 and 25. That makes Kaleb 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.
Kaleb by state
How common Kaleb was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Mississippi (2.8×), New Mexico (2.3×), District of Columbia (2.2×), Delaware (2.0×), Alabama (1.9×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in Idaho, South Dakota, North Dakota.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Kaleb: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Kaleb, they share its era and feel.
Questions about the name Kaleb
What does Kaleb mean?
Kaleb is a spelling of Caleb, which means “dog (debated)” (Hebrew origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Kaleb?
Kaleb was the 295th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 1,143 babies. Its best year was 2009, when it ranked 108th; the most babies were born in 2007 (3,819). Over the last ten years it has moved down 131 places. More babies were named Kaleb in the 2000s than in any other decade.
Is Kaleb a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Kaleb in the US.
Where is Kaleb most popular?
In 2021–2025, Kaleb was most common in Mississippi (2.08 per 1,000 boys), followed by New Mexico and District of Columbia.