The baby name Caleb offers Biblical roots with a distinctive sound.
Thanks to Kelly for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME CALEB MEAN?
We love to give our children names borrowed from animals, whether it’s subtle Leo or straight-up Bear or Wren.
But Dog is not a given name. Sometimes it’s even an insult.
Snoop Dogg started out life as Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., and even though he’s been a pop culture powerhouse since the 1990s, we don’t name our children for him.
Likewise, Dog the Bounty Hunter was born Duane, and despite his time in the spotlight, inspired no namesakes.
What does this have to do with Caleb?
The baby name Caleb probably comes from a Hebrew word meaning dog: kelev.
Others suggest an alternate Hebrew etymology, meaning whole-hearted. Lev means heart, and the first element means whole.
Some split the difference, and list positive canine attributes – like loyalty or devotion – as Caleb’s meaning.
CALEB IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
Given the name’s Hebrew origin, it’s no surprise that it comes from the Bible.
The original Caleb was one of the Old Testament faithful. After the Israelites left Egypt, Moses sent twelve spies to explore the promised land and report back.
Caleb completed his assignment, giving an accurate report. He also urged action, as did Joshua. But the other ten spies disagreed, spreading fear.
After the Hebrews spent forty years in the desert, only he and Joshua entered Canaan.
It adds another layer of meaning to the baby name Caleb: brave.
Thousands of years later, Caleb was one of the Old Testament names revived during the Protestant Reformation.
Puritans brought in to America, along with plenty of other choices like Micah and Elijah.
NOTABLE CALEBS: FICTIONAL AND REAL
That makes the baby name Caleb a logical choice for parents seeking Biblical names. Easy to spell and pronounce, it was well-used in the English-speaking world during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
That means that Colonial and early American Calebs were plentiful, fitting right in with so many Old Testament names embraced by parents in a post-Reformation world.
A few examples from history and literature, beginning in the 17th century, include:
- Caleb Cheeshahteaumuck became the first Native American graduate of Harvard, in the year 1665.
- Caleb Pusey was a friend and business partner of William Penn, founder of Pennsylvania. Pusey arrived in the colony in the year 1682.
- George Eliot gave us kindly Caleb Garth in Middlemarch, published in 1871 and 1872.
- Turn-of-the-century pharmacist and inventor Caleb Bradham invented what we now know as Pepsi Cola.
- Nearly a century later, John Steinbeck gave the name to one of the brothers in his 1952 novel East of Eden. But for the 1955 film adaptation, Caleb Trask is exclusively called Cal.
- In 1954, Caleb is among the siblings in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. (He marries Ruth.) The 1954 movie led to a 1982 television series, but they changed Caleb’s name to Crane.
POP CULTURE CALEBS
The name’s use accelerated in the 1970s and 80s, thanks in part to a number of pop culture Calebs. In turn, the name’s popularity led to even more fictional uses of the name.
- Anne Tyler’s 1975 novel Searching for Caleb is an enduring story about the Peck family.
- In 1986 children’s book, Sarah, Plain and Tall, we meet another Caleb. The story about homesteaders in the Midwestern US during the nineteenth century has several sequels, including Caleb’s Story.
- Soap opera As The World Turns introduced a character named Caleb Snyder in 1988. This marks a turning point for the name’s popularity in the US.
- Short-lived cult classic television series American Gothic was the twisted story of Caleb Temple, from 1995 to 1996.
- Nathan Fillion played a bad guy by the name in the final season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer during the early 2000s.
- Caleb is one of Betty Applewhite’s problematic sons on Desperate Housewives.
- Pretty Little Liars and spin-off Ravenswood follow Caleb Rivers, who helps investigate the identity of the mysterious “A.”
- Caleb Nichols is a villain in the mid-2010s sci fi series Westworld.
- The Divergent book series an film adaptations give us Caleb Prior, brother of Tris.
- The front man of indie band Kings of Leon is Caleb Followill.
- American actor Caleb McLaughlin is best known for his role on Stranger Things. Caleb Landry Jones has won a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actor. He’s known for Get Out, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri and an upcoming Luc Besson take on Dracula.
Plenty of additional athletes, writers, actors, and musicians round out the list.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME CALEB?
We tend to think of Caleb as a traditional boy’s name, steady and true.
Except that’s not quite right. After all, East of Eden and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers changed the characters’ names to Cal and Crane. Name changes happen for lots of reasons, but in this case, it might demonstrate the rise, fall, and return of the name Caleb.
Beginning in the year 1900, the baby name Caleb occasionally ranked in the US Top 1000.
But after 1925? The name exited the rankings for nearly four decades.
Caleb returned in 1964, and by 1968, was climbing steadily in use.
But the name slowly made a comeback.
In general, the late twentieth century was a good moment for Old Testament names, including Ethan, Jacob, Noah, and Luke, as well as girls’ names like Abigail and Hannah.
Pop culture gets credit for accelerating the name’s rise.
In 1988, the baby name Caleb ranked #108, already a dramatic increase. Then along came the character on soap opera As the World Turns, and by 1989, Caleb had made the US Top 100.
It had the magic formula sought by so many parents: a cool, current, and distinctive sound paired with plenty of history.
Caleb peaked at #31 in 2009.
It remains a very popular choice, at #51 as of 2023.
At #274, Kaleb-with-a-K has also seen consistent use in recent years.
STEADFAST AND TRUE
Call the baby name Caleb a modern traditional.
Or maybe just traditional.
It’s typically used in full, but can shorten to Cal or Cale (or Kal or Kale, depending on spelling), lending it a little bit of flexibility.
A great name for a little boy, Caleb is handsome on a grown-up, too.
If you’re looking for a rock solid name for son, Caleb fits.
What do you think of the baby name Caleb?
First posted on June 30, 2011, this post was revised on December 28, 2021, January 24, 2025.
In many cultures, particularly Arab and South East Asian, the worst way you can insult someone is to call them a dog. So yeah, I can see how Caleb’s meaning is pretty controversial. I think Caleb is a nice enough name, but I’ve never considered it as all names ending in B are completely off the table for us.
If parents can get past the meaning, I think Caleb is a nice alternative to Jacob. Familiar, Biblical, that popular AY sound, etc. I think the nn Cal also sets it apart a bit. Jake is starting to sound a bit tired but Cal is pretty darn cool 🙂
I do like Cal for Caleb, and the James Dean angle gives it some serious appeal.
I can’t get past the meaning of the name, nor could family members when the name was considered a couple of times. Oxford Dictionary of First Names: “…apparently derived from the word for ‘dog’ in Hebrew, is said in some traditions to symbolize devotion to
God.” (Last part of that is very positive.) Penguin Ref. Dict. of First Names: “…variously interpreted as meaning ‘intrepid’, ‘bold’ or ‘dog’ (presumably intended to suggest a doglike devotion to God).” The Great Big Book of Baby Names (by President of American Name Society): “Hebrew ‘kalebh, “dog”.”
What are little boys made of
Snips & snails & puppy dogs tails…
I actually like the meaning and it’s no secret I’m an big animal enthusiast. I’ve never understood why it’s ok for a name to mean wolf, raven or deer, but it’s not acceptable if means dog.
I think I know more Calebs than Jacobs… Caleb falls in the same category as Eli and Noah, if the name wasn’t SOOO popular I’d consider it.
I think part of Caleb’s appeal is that it’s similar to Jacob, but not nearly as popular. I know that I thought about using it, until I realized just how high it was climbing. I only know one Caleb IRL.
Indeed, My family just adores dogs, while I’m the lone cat lover! But yeah, Caleb’s general meaning doesn’t bother me overmuch but seems odd with our existing kids (I use kids lightly, Leo & Simon will be 25 on July 5).
I like the name and recommend it to a lot of people, it’s just not for me. 🙂
I agree with waltzingmorethanmatilda. In some cultures and times, dogs have been highly valued and respected, and ‘dog’ was regarded as a good element to feature in a name. The Celts in particular regarded the dog in a positive light, and a number of Celtic names include the element, from the magnificent mythological C
That’s what I wondered too! Then again, I saw on a fairly trustworthy name site that a particular name from the Bible means “God has vomited”. I can only assume that in times past, people didn’t consider the meaning of names at all when choosing or even creating baby names.
Meh, I think that once you get high enough in the popularity charts most names are no longer picked solely for their meaning, and m,any who use the name are unaware of said meaning, they just pcik it because they’ve heard it alot, and decided they liked it. either way, I kind of like Caleb.
I like the sound of this name, and I don’t really see why “dog” is a problem – don’t we all love dogs? Are they not our best friends? Aren’t they handsome, intelligent, loyal and affectionate creatures?
The name Collin can mean “whelp” or “young dog” … but I prefer Caleb to Collin.
It reminds me of Caliban (Caleb-an), but that doesn’t bother me as I always felt great sympathy for Caliban; he was, so to speak … the “underdog”! 😉
As it was picked for an evil twin, maybe some other people also see a touch of darkness in this name.
There was also a bad guy on Buffy the Vampire Slayer named Caleb, and I keep thinking it was in another horror movie – Children of the Corn, maybe? – but I can’t figure that one out.
Honestly, I’ve never thought Caleb = dog was a problem, either. But it pops up on message board after message board, so I do think parents choose the name because the like the sound, then are upset by the possible meaning.
I enjoy learning about the meanings of names, but I’m not vexed if they’re negative. I’m far more likely to veto a name because a person or character who wore the name is unappealing. And, of course, that can happen after the fact, too.
Hmm, yeah, now I’m thinking there’s a REASON I see this as the name for someone who’s a little on the dark side – writers keep making it sound that way!!!!
As with most people I know many, many Calebs. It’s a fine name, but I’m one of those who just can’t envision herself calling a child “dog”.
One of my cousin’s named his son Caleb. Other cousins’ offspring include Judah, Micah, Miriam, Elias and Jacob. I have 9 cousins and 1 sibling so the pool of babies gives me a random selection of names since there’s also a Siri [to honor Scandinavian heritage], Stephanie, Katie, Holly, Reese and Floyd. Also Faith, Anne and Emily.
What wonderful names! I love Miriam.