Calen
A masculine name of Greek origin meaning "handsome" or "beautiful".
Name Census estimates that about 2,636 living Americans carry the first name Calen. It is a predominantly male name (91.6% of registrations). The average person named Calen today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Calen births was 2011 (108 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Calen. 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.
For a British comparison, Name Census UK has a UK baby-name profile for Calen with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
2.6K
~ 1 in 130,028 Americans
Peak year
2011
108 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,747
Tracked since 1977
Census
Calen in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 2,412 people with the first name Calen, which placed it at #6,605 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#6,605
National first-name rank
People counted
2.4K
2,412 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.8
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
69.9% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calen
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Calen is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Calen described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Calen at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White69.9% · 1,685
- Black or African American12.6% · 304
- Two or more races7.9% · 190
- Hispanic or Latino6.3% · 152
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 58
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 23
Gender
Gender distribution for Calen
Calen leans heavily male at 91.6% of total registrations, but 226 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Calen as a male name
- Ranked #2,747 in 2024
- 47 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (103 births)
Calen as a female name
- Ranked #15,732 in 2022
- 5 female births in 2022
- Peak: 2001 (14 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Calen leans strongly male. 2,161 people counted with this name were male (89.5%), compared with 254 female bearers (10.5%).
Popularity
Calen: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Calen from the 1970s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 751 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Calen remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Calen 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 Calen during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Calens live
The SSA's state-level files cover 17 states and territories. California, Texas, Illinois recorded the most babies named Calen, while Indiana, Alabama, Minnesota recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 30 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Calen
The name Calen is believed to have originated from the Welsh language, with its roots tracing back to medieval times. It is derived from the Welsh word "calen," which means "bright" or "shining." This name has been associated with individuals of great strength, courage, and radiance.
During the Middle Ages, the name Calen was primarily used in Wales and other Celtic regions. It gained popularity among the Welsh nobility and was often bestowed upon sons born into prominent families. The earliest recorded instance of the name can be found in the Welsh genealogical records from the 12th century.
In ancient Welsh mythology, there are references to a warrior named Calen who was renowned for his bravery and valor in battle. He was said to have fought alongside legendary figures and played a pivotal role in defending the land against invaders. This mythological figure may have contributed to the enduring popularity of the name among the Welsh people.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Calen. One of the earliest recorded was Calen ap Gruffydd (born c. 1150), a Welsh nobleman and military leader who fought against the Norman invaders in the late 12th century. His exploits were celebrated in Welsh poetry and folk tales.
In the 16th century, Calen Vychan (born c. 1510) was a renowned Welsh poet and scholar who contributed significantly to the preservation of Welsh language and literature during the Renaissance period.
Fast forward to the 19th century, Calen Rhys (1804-1873) was a prominent Welsh Baptist minister and author. He played a crucial role in the religious and cultural life of Wales during his time.
In the realm of music, Calen Radomír (1932-2007) was a respected Czech composer and conductor known for his innovative works that blended classical and contemporary styles.
More recently, Calen D. Stone (born 1959) is an American author and filmmaker who has gained recognition for his works exploring themes of spirituality and personal growth.
While the name Calen has its roots in Welsh culture, it has transcended borders and found a place in various parts of the world, thanks to its unique sound and meaning. Throughout history, individuals bearing this name have left their mark in diverse fields, from warfare and poetry to religion and the arts.
People
Calen + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Calen 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
Calen: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Calen?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,636 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Calen 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 130,028 US residents.
Is Calen a common name?
We classify Calen as "Rare". It ranks above 94.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 2,685 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Calen most popular?
The single biggest year for Calen was 2011, when 108 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Calen is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Calen in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 2,412 people with the name Calen, or 0.80 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #6,605 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Calen in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Calen?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Calen leans strongly male. 2,161 people counted with this name were male (89.5%), compared with 254 female bearers (10.5%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Calen?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Calen is White at 69.9%. The next largest groups are Black (12.6%) and Two or More Races (7.9%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Calen most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Calen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 69.9% (1,685 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Calen in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Calen a male name?
Yes, 91.6% of people registered as Calen 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.
Is Calen still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Calen in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Calen can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
How many people are named Calen?
Find out how many people share the name Calen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.