Calet
A variant of the name Caleb, derived from Hebrew roots meaning "wholehearted".
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Calet. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Calet today is around 6 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Calet births was 2020 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Calet. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Calet. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2020
5 babies that year
Average age
6
years old
2020 SSA rank
#12,339
Tracked since 2020
Popularity
Calet: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Calet 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 Calet during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Calet
The name Calet has its origins in the Celtic and Gaelic cultures of ancient Britain and Ireland. It is derived from the Old Celtic word "calath," meaning "hardy" or "brave." This suggests that the name was originally used to describe a person of strong character and resilience.
One of the earliest known references to the name Calet can be found in the ancient Welsh epic poem "Y Gododdin," which dates back to the 6th century AD. In this poem, a warrior named Calet is praised for his valor and bravery in battle against the Angles and Saxons.
In the 9th century, an Irish monk named Calet is recorded as having traveled to the Continent and helped establish a monastery in modern-day Belgium. This early example highlights the spread of the name beyond its Celtic origins.
During the Middle Ages, the name Calet was particularly popular among noble families in Wales and Scotland. One notable figure from this period was Calet ap Rhys, a Welsh nobleman who lived in the 12th century and was known for his leadership in the struggles against Norman rule.
In the 16th century, a Scottish scholar and poet named Calet Dunbar gained fame for his satirical works and his contributions to the Renaissance literary movement. He was born in 1456 and is considered one of the most important figures in early Scottish literature.
Another famous bearer of the name was Calet O'Connor, an Irish chieftain and military leader who lived in the 17th century. He played a significant role in the Confederate Wars of the 1640s, leading Irish Catholic forces against the English Parliamentarians.
In more recent centuries, the name Calet has remained relatively uncommon, but a few notable individuals have carried it. One example is Calet Williamson, an American artist born in 1892 who was renowned for her impressionist landscape paintings.
Throughout its long history, the name Calet has maintained a strong association with courage, resilience, and a connection to the Celtic and Gaelic cultural heritage. While not widely used today, it serves as a reminder of the rich tapestry of names and their meanings that have endured across centuries.
People
Calet + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Calet 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
Calet: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Calet?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Calet 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Calet a common name?
We classify Calet as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Calet most popular?
The single biggest year for Calet was 2020, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Calet is about 6 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
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 Calet in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Calet a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Calet 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 Calet still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Calet 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 Calet 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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have the name Calet?
If you just want to know how many people share the name Calet, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.