Total births
7,858
Boys' name · since 1880
Cal
7,858 babies named Cal in U.S. Social Security records since 1880, with the highest year being 2025. Year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state-level rankings drawn from federal birth data.
- #672
- among boys today
- 7,858
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Cal currently ranks #672 among boys' names in America, with 7,858 babies recorded since 1880.
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Cal has been recorded 7,858 times among boys since 1880, currently ranked #672 nationally and more common than 95% of boys, with its heaviest use in the 2020s. This profile covers year-by-year birth trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution, all derived directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1880 to 2025.
- #672 among boys today
- 7,858 born since 1880
- 2020s peak decade
- 95% more common than other boys
Data updated Jun 2026
The verdict
Cal is currently the #672 boys' name in America, more common than 95% of boys - 7,858 born since 1880, peaking in the 2020s.
- #672
- among boys today
- 7,858
- born since 1880
- 2020s
- peak decade
- 95%
- more common than other boys
Cal vs. every other boys name in current SSA rankings
#672
of 14,294 boys in use
More common than 95% of names given to boys today.
2020s
Peak decade
28% of everyone ever named Cal was born in this single decade.
2025
Single peak year
554 babies were named Cal in 2025 - its busiest year on record.
How Cal compares
7,858 Top 10% higher than 90% of 14,294 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
Cal's all-time total is 21x the median boys name, and Liam still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Cal | Median boys name (Elchonon) | #1 boys name (Liam) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 7,858 | 367 | 358,536 |
| Peak-year births | 554 | 23 | 22,252 |
Cal's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Cal splits its recorded history at 1954: 83% of all births land in the more recent half, 17% in the earlier half, a lean toward present-day use rather than a passing spike. The single quietest year was 1885 (5 births) -- compare that against the 2025 peak of 554 for a sense of just how much the name's popularity has swung.
Cal at a glance
Top 1,000 boys' namePeak year
2025
Current rank
#672
Active since
1880
Cal popularity over time - boys
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1880–2025
- Peak year (2025)
- 554
- Annual births at peak, across 146 years of records
Cal popularity over time - girls
10 total births recorded since 1954 (Cal as girls' name)
Cal by decade
Total births in each ten-year window, peak vs trough at a glance
2020s was Cal's strongest decade.
2,177 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 28% of all-time use.
Cal births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 104
1880s
104 births
- 1890s 87
1890s
87 births
- 1900s 59
1900s
59 births
- 1910s 176
1910s
176 births
- 1920s 249
1920s
249 births
- 1930s 215
1930s
215 births
- 1940s 309
1940s
309 births
- 1950s 538
1950s
538 births
- 1960s 458
1960s
458 births
- 1970s 288
1970s
288 births
- 1980s 333
1980s
333 births
- 1990s 689
1990s
689 births
- 2000s
2000s
903 births
- 2010s
2010s
1,273 births
- 2020s
2020s
2,177 births
What this shows Peak: 2020s at 2,177 births (28% of all-time use).
How Cal 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 Cal's total volume
Cal vs 15 similarly-sized boys names
Cal by state
Where Cal concentrates geographically, total births since 1880
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | California | | 640 | 8.1% |
| #2 | Texas | | 458 | 5.8% |
| #3 | Wisconsin | | 281 | 3.6% |
| #4 | Utah | | 233 | 3.0% |
| #5 | Illinois | | 231 | 2.9% |
| #6 | Minnesota | | 211 | 2.7% |
| #7 | New York | | 209 | 2.7% |
| #8 | Michigan | | 202 | 2.6% |
California share of Cal's total US births 8.1%
Even split
640 of 7,858 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 40 reporting states.
Cal appears in 40 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
How popular is the name Cal? ▼
Cal has been given to 7,858 babies in the U.S. since 1880, according to SSA data. Among boys, it ranks #672 as of the latest data. 554 babies were born in 2025, its single highest year.
When was Cal most popular? ▼
Cal was most popular in the 2020s decade with 2,177 total births. The single peak year was 2025.
Where is Cal most popular? ▼
The top states for the name Cal are California (640 births), Texas (458 births), Wisconsin (281 births).
How long has the name Cal been used? ▼
Cal has been recorded in Social Security data since 1880, spanning 146 years of data through 2025.
What names are similar to Cal? ▼
Names with a similar sound or spelling include Caleb, Calvin, Callum, Callan, and 4 more. These share a common prefix and are also used for boys.
What to do with Cal's data
- California records the most Cals (640 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. California names
- Weighing it against an alternative? Put two names side by side. Compare names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Cal
Nearby Names Like Cal
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Cal
Caleb Boy
#49 324,350 births
Calvin Boy
#140 221,064 births
Callum Boy
#158 16,051 births
Callan Boy
#242 11,164 births
Callen Boy
#481 9,501 births
Compare Cal side by side: Cal vs Caleb Cal vs Calvin Cal vs Callum
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Cal
Marvin #671
254,192 births · Peak 1928
Donald #673
1,414,824 births · Peak 1934
Leonard #670
294,334 births · Peak 1921
Nathanael #674
22,227 births · Peak 2000
Riggs #669
2,986 births · Peak 2024
Kareem #675
18,161 births · Peak 1980
Ahmad #668
20,348 births · Peak 2001
Aarav #676
8,209 births · Peak 2015
Data Sources
Data as of June 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, 1880–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Cite this page
NameAlmanac Editorial. "Cal: #672 Boys' Name - 7,858 Births, Peak 2025." NameAlmanac. Accessed via https://namealmanac.com/name/cal. Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
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 Cal 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 June 2026.