Caleb

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Caleb

Gender: Masculine
Language: English
Etymology:
Caleb comes from a Hebrew word “caleb” meaning “Dog,” with the connotation of “Loyalty.” (The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, 3rd ed. 1977, claims it means “bold” or “impetuous).

History:
Caleb, a Biblical name, was first used in England after the Reformation. The traditional pool of names had been decreased by the Puritans eliminating of the veneration of saints. Many of these names were replaced by Biblical names, as the King James Bible had dramatically increased the average citizen’s knowledge of the Bible.

Although it declined in England, Caleb remained in use in Scotland and especially the United States, where it remained common until the 19th century.

Disappearing in the 1930s, Caleb was revived in the 1960s and over the next few decades, became quite popular.

Pronunciation: kay-lub

Alternates: Calab, Kaleb, Kalob.
Arabic: Kalb.

Famous Bearers:
Educators, Scholars, and Social Workers:
Caleb Bingham (1757-1817)
American educator.
Caleb Atwater (1778-1867)
American archaeologist.
Caleb Mills (1806-1879)
American educator.

Political Figures:
Caleb Cushing (1800-1879)
American diplomat.

Religious Figures:
Caleb (Biblical)
A contemporary of Moses’s.

Popularity:
Percentage from the 1990 U.S. Census:
0.023 % named Caleb
less than 0.004 % named Kaleb

Popularity of Caleb:
Popularity (for newborns):
In the United States...
1800: 86th most popular.
1850: 215th most popular.
1875: 421st most popular.
1880: 325th most popular.
1881: 395th most popular.
1882: 355th most popular.
1883: 448th most popular.
1884: 450th most popular.
1885: 462nd most popular.
1886: 491st most popular.
1887: 488th most popular.
1888: 465th most popular.
1889: 415th most popular.
1890: 739th most popular.
1891: 767th most popular.
1892: 641st most popular.
1893: 616th most popular.
1894: 954th most popular.
1895: 685th most popular.
1896: 593rd most popular.
1897: 725th most popular.
1898: 885th most popular.
1899: 858th most popular.
1900: 788th most popular.
1901: 780th most popular.
1902: 687th most popular.
1903: 696th most popular.
1904: 760th most popular.
1905: 836th most popular.
1906: 640th most popular.
1907: 866th most popular.
1908: N/A
1909: 756th most popular.
1910: 782nd most popular.
1911: 858th most popular.
1912-1913: N/A
1914: 907th most popular.
1915-1916: N/A
1917: 960th most popular.
1918: 952nd most popular.
1919: N/A
1920: 966th most popular.
1921: N/A
1922: 977th most popular.
1923-1924: N/A
1925: 889th most popular.
1926-1963: N/A
1964: 998th most popular.
1965: N/A
1966: 912th most popular.
1967: N/A
1968: 927th most popular.
1969: 877th most popular.
1970: 842nd most popular.
1971: 787th most popular.
1972: 749th most popular.
1973: 583rd most popular.
1974: 460th most popular.
1975: 382nd most popular.
1976: 331st most popular.
1977: 274th most popular.
1978: 276th most popular.
1979: 248th most popular.
1980: 236th most popular.
1981: 174th most popular.
1982: 169th most popular.
1983: 159th most popular.
1984: 163rd most popular.
1985: 136th most popular.
1986: 131st most popular.
1987: 114th most popular.
1988: 108th most popular.
1989: 91st most popular.
1990: 95th most popular.
1991: 83rd most popular.
1992: 75th most popular.
1993: 68th most popular.
1994: 62nd most popular
1995: 56th most popular.
1996: 50th most popular.
1997: 50th most popular.
1998: 42nd most popular.
1999: 41st most popular.
2000: 38th most popular.
2001: 38th most popular.
2002: 35th most popular.
2003: 34th most popular.
2004: 33rd most popular.

Selected Sources:
The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Withycombe, 1977, 3rd ed.
A Dictionary of First Names, Hanks and Hodges, 1990
The Penguin Dictionary of First Names, Pickering, 1999

The Social Security Administration Actuarial Note 139 (www.ssa.gov) - For popularity stats 1880-Present
The 1880 U.S. Census- For popularity stats 1850-1880, and other information (it is available on-line at www.familysearch.org)