Caliber
A name derived from the term describing the internal diameter of a firearm barrel.
Name Census estimates that about 262 living Americans carry the first name Caliber. It is a predominantly male name (93.6% of registrations). The average person named Caliber today is around 9 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Caliber births was 2016 (31 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Caliber. 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.
People living today
262
~ 1 in 1,308,223 Americans
Peak year
2016
31 babies that year
Average age
9
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,211
Tracked since 2004
Gender
Gender distribution for Caliber
Caliber leans heavily male at 93.6% of total registrations, but 17 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Caliber as a male name
- Ranked #6,211 in 2024
- 14 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2016 (26 births)
Caliber as a female name
- Ranked #13,798 in 2021
- 6 female births in 2021
- Peak: 2020 (6 births)
Popularity
Caliber: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Caliber from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 141 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Caliber remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caliber 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 Caliber during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Calibers live
Origin
Meaning and history of Caliber
The name Caliber has its origins in the Late Latin word "calibra," which referred to a small weight or a balance. This word eventually evolved into the French word "calibre," meaning the internal diameter or bore of a gun barrel. The name itself is a relatively modern one, not having been recorded in use before the 19th century.
In its earliest recorded uses, the name Caliber was likely chosen as a symbolic reference to strength, precision, and the ability to hit a target accurately. It may have been inspired by the esteemed reputations of skilled marksmen and gunsmiths.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the first name Caliber was Caliber Aydlett, born in 1832 in North Carolina, United States. He served as a private in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War.
Another early bearer of the name was Caliber Kingsland, born in 1845 in England. He was a renowned gunsmith and weapons designer, responsible for several innovative rifle designs in the late 19th century.
In the 20th century, Caliber Hawkins, born in 1912 in Texas, became a notable figure in the world of competitive shooting. He won numerous national and international marksmanship competitions throughout his career.
Caliber Whitmore, born in 1927 in Ohio, was a decorated World War II veteran who received the Bronze Star for his bravery and service as a sharpshooter in the European Theater.
More recently, Caliber Jackson, born in 1968 in California, has gained recognition as a successful professional golfer, winning multiple tournaments on the PGA Tour.
While not a name with deep historical roots, Caliber has come to symbolize precision, accuracy, and excellence in various fields, particularly those involving marksmanship, engineering, and athletics.
People
Caliber + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Caliber 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
Caliber: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Caliber?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 262 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Caliber 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 1,308,223 US residents.
Is Caliber a common name?
We classify Caliber as "Very Rare". It ranks above 77.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 264 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Caliber most popular?
The single biggest year for Caliber was 2016, when 31 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Caliber is about 9 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 Caliber in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Caliber a male name?
Yes, 93.6% of people registered as Caliber 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 Caliber still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Caliber 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 Caliber 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 are named Caliber?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.