Given name & surname · also Latin
Cale
“a respected woman”
Cale is used as a given name and a surname. One Latin interpretation is “a respected woman.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Latin interpretation is “a respected woman.”
Where it comes from
This spelling has been associated with Latin and English naming traditions.
How it developed
Cale is used as a form of Charles.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1917. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Cale through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 8,291
- 8,207 boys · 84 girls
- Most popular year
- 2008
- 409 babies
- 2025
- 47
- #2,722 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −30%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 47 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 2,722 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 30.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 395 in 2008. In 2025, Colorado had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (6). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 7,688 as a first name in 2020; 2,845 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Cale’s family of names
Cale is a form of Charles. Cale has a related form in Cael. Cale has a related form in Cayle.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Across languages 5
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
People named Cale
- Cale MakarCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1998
- Cale YarboroughAmerican racecar driver (1939–2023)
- Cale FleuryCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1998
- Cale CaseAmerican politicianborn 1958
- Cale SimmonsAmerican male pole vaulterborn 1991
- Cale HulseCanadian ice hockey playerborn 1973
- Cale BoyterAmerican film producerborn 1972
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Cale, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Caden
“a battlemaiden” · “spirt of battle •”
99% boys · 1% girls
Kamden
“from the winding valley”
96% boys · 4% girls
Cade
“a precocious young woman” · “one who is round”
>99% boys
Keaton
“from a shed town” · “from the town of hawks”
92% boys · 8% girls
Cole
“a swarthy woman; having coal-black hair” · “having dark features; having coal-black hair”
>99% boys
Keoni
“God is gracious”
87% boys · 13% girls
Kolton
“from the coal town”
>99% boys
Keaka
“the” · “shadow, reflection”
>99% boys