Given name & surname
Caleb
“dog”·“resembling a dog”
Caleb is used as a given name and a surname. Interpretations include “dog” (Hebrew) and “resembling a dog” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Original Hebrewכָּלֵב
Meaning & origin
What it means
Interpretations include “dog” (Hebrew) and “resembling a dog” (Hebrew). These may reflect different naming traditions.
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Hebrew.
How it developed
Possibly from Late Latin Caleb, from Koine Greek Χάλεβ, from Biblical Hebrew כָּלֵב (Kālēḇ).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
The name appears in biblical tradition, giving it a longstanding religious and cultural context.
In the Bible
In the Bible, the name Caleb appears in 1 Chronicles 2:18, 1 Chronicles 2:19, Numbers 13:6 and 3 other passages.
- 1 Chronicles 2:18
- 1 Chronicles 2:19
- Numbers 13:6
- Joshua 14:13-14
- 1 Samuel 25:3
- Joshua 15:17
From biblical name research
Caleb through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 325,003
- 324,350 boys · 653 girls
- Most popular year
- 2002
- 11,684 babies
- 2025
- 5,217
- #58 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- −17%
- Easing
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 5,217 U.S. birth records for boys, ranking No. 58 among boys’ names. Average annual use for boys was 17.2% lower in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. Its largest published annual count for boys was 11,665 in 2002. In 2025, California had the largest reported state-level birth count for boys with this name (678). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 264,107 as a first name in 2020; 781 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.
Caleb’s family of names
In English usage, Caleb has a short form in Cal. In English usage, Caleb has a related form in Kaleb. In Spanish usage, Caleb has a conventional equivalent in the German form Kaleb.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Around the world
Caleb has relatives in 4 languages. Lines run from its Hebrew roots to each of them.
Hebrewwhere Caleb comes from · 1 name
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Kalebvariant · English, German
- Calshort form · English
- Caylebvariant
- Calobvariant
- Caelobvariant
- Caylobvariant
- Caelebvariant
- Cailebvariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Across languages 3
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
See also 2
Names our sources mention alongside this one. They are related in story or meaning, not forms of this name.
People named Caleb
- Casey AffleckAmerican actorborn 1975
- Caleb McLaughlinAmerican actor (born 2001)
- Caleb Landry JonesAmerican actorborn 1989
- Don ToliverAmerican singer and rapper (born 1994)
- Caleb YirenkyiGhanaian footballer (born 2006)
- Caleb EwanAustralian road and track bicycle racerborn 1994
- Caleb BradhamAmerican pharmacist, inventor of Pepsi-Cola1867–1934
- Caleb CushingAmerican politician (1800-1879)
- Caleb WileyAmerican soccer playerborn 2004
Characters named Caleb: Kanan Jarrus (the Star Wars universe).
Listed by how widely each person is written about, which says nothing about the name itself.
Similar names
If you love Caleb, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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