Boys' name · since 1989
Cael
Cael has 3,732 recorded births since 1989 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 2011 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #2,198 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,950 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,732
- born since 1989
- 2000s
- peak decade
Yes -- Cael is the #1950 most popular boys' name in the U.S. today, with 3,732 recorded since 1989.
Cael has 3,732 recorded births among boys since 1989, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #1950 as of the latest data, more common than 86% of boys, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1989 to 2025.
- #2,198 of 45,481 all-time among boys
- #1,950 of 13,930 2025 SSA year
- 3,732 born since 1989
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cael ranks #2,198 of 45,481 boys' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #1,950 of 13,930 among boys' names in 2025. 3,732 born since 1989, peaking in the 2000s.
- #2,198 of 45,481
- all-time among boys
- #1,950 of 13,930
- 2025 SSA year
- 3,732
- born since 1989
- 2000s
- peak decade
Cael's 3,732 recorded births place it above 95.16% of the 45,481 boys names in the full SSA archive.
29 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Iowa.
How Cael compares
3,732 Top 15% higher than 85% of 13,930 names currently given to boys
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked boys names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Cael's all-time total is 10x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cael | Median boys name (Takari) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 3,732 | 369 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 272 | 34 | 22,252 |
Cael's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Divide Cael's SSA record in two at 2009 and the more recent half accounts for 57% of all births, the earlier half the remaining 43%, a genuinely balanced usage pattern. Its calmest year was 1990, with only 5 births recorded -- set against the 2011 peak of 272, that's the full swing in one name's fortunes.
Cael popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1989–2025
- Peak year (2011)
- 272
- Annual births at peak, across 37 years of records
Cael popularity over time - girls
13 total births recorded since 2007 (Cael as girls' name)
Cael by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (1,828 births, 49% of the file).
2000s was Cael's strongest decade.
1,828 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 49% of all-time use.
Cael births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1980s 8
1980s
8 births
- 1990s 55
1990s
55 births
- 2000s
2000s
1,828 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,527 births
- 2020s 314
2020s
314 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 1,828 births (49% of all-time use).
How Cael compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 boys names closest to Cael's total volume
Cael by state
Where Cael concentrates geographically, total births since 1989
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Iowa | | 552 | 14.8% |
| #2 | Pennsylvania | | 188 | 5.0% |
| #3 | Texas | | 176 | 4.7% |
| #4 | California | | 174 | 4.7% |
| #5 | Utah | | 133 | 3.6% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 110 | 2.9% |
| #7 | Illinois | | 109 | 2.9% |
| #8 | Minnesota | | 102 | 2.7% |
552 of 3,732 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 29 reporting states.
Cael appears in 29 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Cael's data
- Cael's decade-level peak was the 2000s (1,828 total births); usage has since declined to 314 in the 2020s -- if you're weighing a "classic revival" angle, the trend line argues against it.
- Iowa records the most Caels (552 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Iowa names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cael
Nearby Names Like Cael
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cael
Compare Cael side by side: Cael vs Caesar Cael vs Caelan Cael vs Caeden
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cael
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Cael: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~2011)
Similar record span (~36 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1989–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Cael draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.