Calder
Originating from the English name for a stream or river dweller.
Name Census estimates that about 2,082 living Americans carry the first name Calder. It is a predominantly male name (98.2% of registrations). The average person named Calder today is around 15 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Calder births was 2016 (120 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Calder. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Calder is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 15 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
2.1K
~ 1 in 164,627 Americans
Peak year
2016
120 babies that year
Average age
15
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,991
Tracked since 1980
Gender
Gender distribution for Calder
Calder leans heavily male at 98.2% of total registrations, but 37 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Calder as a male name
- Ranked #1,991 in 2024
- 77 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (120 births)
Calder as a female name
- Ranked #15,557 in 2020
- 5 female births in 2020
- Peak: 2005 (7 births)
Popularity
Calder: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Calder from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 876 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Calder remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Calder by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Calder during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Calders live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, New York, Texas recorded the most babies named Calder, while Michigan, Massachusetts, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Calder
The name Calder is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "cald" meaning "cold" and "er" meaning "dweller", thus referring to someone who lived in a cold or exposed place. This name first emerged in the Middle Ages, around the 11th or 12th century, in the northern regions of England, particularly in areas like Yorkshire and Lancashire.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this name dates back to the 13th century, when a certain Calder de Beuerl was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire in 1219. The name also appeared in various medieval records and charters from that period, indicating its usage among the English population.
In the 16th century, the name gained some prominence with the Scottish mathematician and philosopher John Calder (1533-1592), who made significant contributions to the field of mathematics and was instrumental in the adoption of the decimal point notation in arithmetic.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Sir Robert Calder (1745-1818), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He is particularly remembered for his role in the Battle of Cape Finisterre in 1805, where he led the British fleet against the combined French and Spanish naval forces.
In the realm of literature, the name Calder is associated with the Scottish poet and novelist James Calder (1824-1884), whose works explored themes of rural Scottish life and the struggles of the working class.
The 20th century saw the rise of the American sculptor Alexander Calder (1898-1976), renowned for his innovative kinetic sculptures and mobiles. His unique artistic style and contributions to modern art have made him one of the most celebrated artists of his time.
Lastly, the name Calder also gained recognition in the field of astronomy with the British astronomer Nigel Calder (1931-2014), who made significant contributions to the understanding of black holes and the evolution of the universe through his popular science writings and television programs.
People
Calder + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Calder as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Calder: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Calder?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,082 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Calder going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 164,627 US residents.
Is Calder a common name?
We classify Calder as "Rare". It ranks above 93.9% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,107 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Calder most popular?
The single biggest year for Calder was 2016, when 120 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Calder is about 15 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Calder a male name?
Yes, 98.2% of people registered as Calder in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.