Cal
Cal was given to 554 boys in 2025, #543 among boys’ names; 7,868 Americans have been recorded with it since 1880 (Social Security Administration, published May 2026).
An estimated 6,450 Americans named Cal and born in the U.S. are alive in 2026 (82% of everyone recorded); the median is 14 years old and half are between 4 and 34.
Girls and boys together; gaps are years SSA did not record (fewer than 5 births).
Births of Cal by year: SSA national baby-name file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
What does Cal mean?
Wiktionary, English section
Cal is “a short form of the male given names Caleb, Calum or Calvin.”
Also “a diminutive of the female given name Caroline.”
/kæl/
Meaning: Wiktionary, English section, as of Sep 25, 2026 (CC BY‑SA 4.0).
How popular is Cal?
#543 among boys’ names, 2025
Cal rose from #1,255 in 2015 to #543 in 2025 among boys’ names; its share of boys born rose from 0.08 to 0.32 per 1,000.
554 babies in 2025, the peak
Cal peaked in 2025, when 554 boys were given it, #543 among boys’ names. In 2024 it went to 409 boys.
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 554 | #543 | 0.32 |
| 2024 | 409 | #670 | 0.24 |
| 2023 | 373 | #712 | 0.22 |
| 2022 | 343 | #748 | 0.20 |
| 2021 | 263 | #879 | 0.15 |
| 2020 | 235 | #937 | 0.14 |
| 2019 | 166 | #1,168 | 0.09 |
| 2018 | 150 | #1,235 | 0.08 |
| 2017 | 159 | #1,176 | 0.09 |
| 2016 | 160 | #1,185 | 0.08 |
Every recorded year (143)
| Year | Births | Rank | Per 1,000 boys |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 144 | #1,255 | 0.08 |
| 2014 | 129 | #1,341 | 0.07 |
| 2013 | 99 | #1,570 | 0.05 |
| 2012 | 90 | #1,688 | 0.05 |
| 2011 | 88 | #1,688 | 0.05 |
| 2010 | 88 | #1,727 | 0.05 |
| 2009 | 94 | #1,667 | 0.05 |
| 2008 | 90 | #1,693 | 0.04 |
| 2007 | 100 | #1,566 | 0.05 |
| 2006 | 85 | #1,672 | 0.04 |
| 2005 | 90 | #1,556 | 0.05 |
| 2004 | 84 | #1,564 | 0.04 |
| 2003 | 88 | #1,478 | 0.04 |
| 2002 | 95 | #1,385 | 0.05 |
| 2001 | 89 | #1,399 | 0.05 |
| 2000 | 88 | #1,406 | 0.04 |
| 1999 | 69 | #1,579 | 0.04 |
| 1998 | 72 | #1,515 | 0.04 |
| 1997 | 93 | #1,239 | 0.05 |
| 1996 | 112 | #1,078 | 0.06 |
| 1995 | 84 | #1,270 | 0.04 |
| 1994 | 47 | #1,824 | 0.02 |
| 1993 | 52 | #1,677 | 0.03 |
| 1992 | 68 | #1,367 | 0.03 |
| 1991 | 51 | #1,626 | 0.03 |
| 1990 | 41 | #1,871 | 0.02 |
| 1989 | 33 | #2,102 | 0.02 |
| 1988 | 37 | #1,816 | 0.02 |
| 1987 | 23 | #2,401 | 0.01 |
| 1986 | 36 | #1,727 | 0.02 |
| 1985 | 36 | #1,702 | 0.02 |
| 1984 | 43 | #1,460 | 0.02 |
| 1983 | 32 | #1,753 | 0.02 |
| 1982 | 28 | #1,935 | 0.02 |
| 1981 | 33 | #1,730 | 0.02 |
| 1980 | 32 | #1,770 | 0.02 |
| 1979 | 24 | #2,110 | 0.01 |
| 1978 | 20 | #2,291 | 0.01 |
| 1977 | 31 | #1,712 | 0.02 |
| 1976 | 34 | #1,576 | 0.02 |
| 1975 | 31 | #1,633 | 0.02 |
| 1974 | 28 | #1,698 | 0.02 |
| 1973 | 25 | #1,784 | 0.02 |
| 1972 | 34 | #1,456 | 0.02 |
| 1971 | 24 | #1,825 | 0.01 |
| 1970 | 37 | #1,374 | 0.02 |
| 1969 | 26 | #1,608 | 0.01 |
| 1968 | 41 | #1,189 | 0.02 |
| 1967 | 31 | #1,365 | 0.02 |
| 1966 | 43 | #1,133 | 0.02 |
| 1965 | 33 | #1,336 | 0.02 |
| 1964 | 53 | #1,036 | 0.03 |
| 1963 | 67 | #910 | 0.03 |
| 1962 | 51 | #1,071 | 0.02 |
| 1961 | 48 | #1,138 | 0.02 |
| 1960 | 65 | #941 | 0.03 |
| 1959 | 60 | #992 | 0.03 |
| 1958 | 61 | #968 | 0.03 |
| 1957 | 78 | #848 | 0.04 |
| 1956 | 71 | #888 | 0.03 |
| 1955 | 47 | #1,090 | 0.02 |
| 1954 | 49 | #1,068 | 0.02 |
| 1953 | 49 | #1,035 | 0.02 |
| 1952 | 42 | #1,136 | 0.02 |
| 1951 | 47 | #1,039 | 0.02 |
| 1950 | 34 | #1,234 | 0.02 |
| 1949 | 33 | #1,254 | 0.02 |
| 1948 | 50 | #989 | 0.03 |
| 1947 | 44 | #1,094 | 0.02 |
| 1946 | 27 | #1,355 | 0.02 |
| 1945 | 26 | #1,300 | 0.02 |
| 1944 | 29 | #1,236 | 0.02 |
| 1943 | 28 | #1,311 | 0.02 |
| 1942 | 26 | #1,361 | 0.02 |
| 1941 | 25 | #1,336 | 0.02 |
| 1940 | 21 | #1,477 | 0.02 |
| 1939 | 22 | #1,426 | 0.02 |
| 1938 | 17 | #1,697 | 0.02 |
| 1937 | 21 | #1,489 | 0.02 |
| 1936 | 25 | #1,327 | 0.02 |
| 1935 | 23 | #1,425 | 0.02 |
| 1934 | 23 | #1,428 | 0.02 |
| 1933 | 21 | #1,507 | 0.02 |
| 1932 | 23 | #1,471 | 0.02 |
| 1931 | 21 | #1,549 | 0.02 |
| 1930 | 19 | #1,700 | 0.02 |
| 1929 | 15 | #2,012 | 0.01 |
| 1928 | 19 | #1,770 | 0.02 |
| 1927 | 26 | #1,480 | 0.02 |
| 1926 | 30 | #1,332 | 0.03 |
| 1925 | 21 | #1,685 | 0.02 |
| 1924 | 32 | #1,295 | 0.03 |
| 1923 | 31 | #1,304 | 0.03 |
| 1922 | 23 | #1,597 | 0.02 |
| 1921 | 30 | #1,367 | 0.03 |
| 1920 | 22 | #1,652 | 0.02 |
| 1919 | 19 | #1,760 | 0.02 |
| 1918 | 29 | #1,315 | 0.03 |
| 1917 | 29 | #1,271 | 0.03 |
| 1916 | 11 | #2,403 | 0.01 |
| 1915 | 26 | #1,310 | 0.03 |
| 1914 | 20 | #1,348 | 0.03 |
| 1913 | 17 | #1,264 | 0.03 |
| 1912 | 7 | #2,075 | 0.02 |
| 1911 | 8 | #1,302 | 0.04 |
| 1910 | 10 | #1,053 | 0.05 |
| 1909 | 5 | #1,484 | 0.03 |
| 1908 | 5 | #1,405 | 0.03 |
| 1907 | 6 | #1,215 | 0.04 |
| 1906 | 11 | #762 | 0.08 |
| 1905 | 8 | #936 | 0.06 |
| 1903 | 6 | #1,029 | 0.05 |
| 1902 | 8 | #872 | 0.07 |
| 1900 | 10 | #847 | 0.07 |
| 1898 | 8 | #813 | 0.07 |
| 1897 | 9 | #733 | 0.08 |
| 1896 | 6 | #999 | 0.05 |
| 1895 | 12 | #611 | 0.10 |
| 1894 | 9 | #742 | 0.08 |
| 1893 | 11 | #620 | 0.10 |
| 1892 | 10 | #693 | 0.08 |
| 1891 | 9 | #653 | 0.09 |
| 1890 | 13 | #540 | 0.12 |
| 1889 | 13 | #530 | 0.12 |
| 1888 | 9 | #710 | 0.07 |
| 1887 | 5 | #949 | 0.05 |
| 1886 | 7 | #775 | 0.06 |
| 1885 | 5 | #956 | 0.05 |
| 1884 | 6 | #869 | 0.05 |
| 1883 | 14 | #484 | 0.13 |
| 1882 | 16 | #457 | 0.14 |
| 1881 | 10 | #568 | 0.10 |
| 1880 | 19 | #393 | 0.17 |
Ranks and shares: boys’ names in each year’s SSA file; share of all boys SSA recorded that year.
Is Cal a boy’s or a girl’s name?
Cal has been given almost only to boys: 10 girls in 143 years of records.
Girls and boys named Cal: the SSA national file counts each sex separately.
How many people are named Cal, and how old are they?
6,450 alive in 2026, estimated
That is 82% of the 7,868 Americans ever recorded as Cal. The median Cal alive today is 14 years old; half are between 4 and 34.
The 2020 Census counted 5,529 people named Cal (219 women and girls, 5,310 men and boys). SSA’s births carried forward to Census day, April 1, 2020, predict 4,536 born in the U.S. The Census count is 22% above that prediction. Possible reasons: the Census records the name people give, which for many is the short form Cal rather than the name on their birth record, and it counts people born abroad, whom SSA’s files leave out.
Alive today, by age
Alive today, by generation
| Generation | Born | Alive |
|---|---|---|
| Silent Generation | 1928-1945 | 85 |
| Baby Boomers | 1946-1964 | 668 |
| Generation X | 1965-1980 | 434 |
| Millennials | 1981-1996 | 721 |
| Generation Z | 1997-2012 | 1,380 |
| Generation Alpha | 2013-2025 | 3,160 |
An estimate, not a count. SSA’s files count people born in the United States who received a Social Security number, so anyone born abroad is not in them; before 1937 most people got a number as adults, and their survival is counted from that age.
Living estimate: SSA births carried forward with the survival rates in SSA’s cohort life tables (2024 Trustees Report) for each birth year and sex. How the estimate is made. Count: Census Bureau, first names in the 2020 Census (released April 14, 2026; names reported 100 or more times, with the Bureau’s disclosure-avoidance adjustment).
Where are babies named Cal born?
The states with the most babies named Cal are California, Texas and Utah, with 24% of its births recorded by state in 2025; Utah is not among the ten states with the most births.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank, boys | vs. national |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 56 | #546 | 0.8× |
| Texas | 34 | #794 | 0.7× |
| Utah | 34 | #158 | 2.6× |
| Washington | 29 | #258 | 0.9× |
| Illinois | 27 | #402 | 0.7× |
| Wisconsin | 23 | #256 | 1.9× |
| Minnesota | 22 | #279 | 1.4× |
| Iowa | 21 | #193 | 1.4× |
| Missouri | 19 | #337 | 0.5× |
| Florida | 18 | #813 | 0.2× |
Where Cal is more common than its national share predicts
Relative to its national share, Cal is most over-represented in Utah: since 1910 it was given 2.6 times as often there as its national share each year would predict.
States: SSA state file, 1910-2025, published May 8, 2026; births count girls and boys together, and the rank is among boys’ names in the state in 2025. The file leaves out any state and year with fewer than 5 babies of the name, so small states are undercounted; each ratio compares the state’s births of Cal with the births its national share predicts year by year, for states with at least 100 births of the name.
Names spelled alike
Of these 8 names spelled alike, given to 18,238 babies since 1880, Cal is the most given (43% of them). In 2025 it was given to 554 of their 973 babies (57%), again the most given.
Spelled alike: names in the SSA national file with the same pattern of letters and sounds and at most two letters apart, and Wiktionary’s listed forms; births since 1880 and in 2025, and each name’s peak year, from the SSA national file, published May 8, 2026. Some are separate names, not spellings of one.
Names that rose and fell in the same decades as Cal
Names whose births rose and fell across the same decades, measured on each decade’s share of births.
Similar histories: each decade’s share of births, from the SSA national file, 1880-2025, published May 8, 2026. SSA’s notes on the data.
More about Cal and names like it
- Compare Cal and KaelBirths, ranks, peak and the living estimate side by side.
- The most given names of the 2020sCal peaked in 2025.
- California’s most given namesThe state where SSA recorded the most babies named Cal since 1910.
- The top names of 2025The year the most babies were named Cal.
- The names of Generation AlphaMost people named Cal alive today were born 2013-2025.
- Names starting with CMost given first.