Calin
A masculine name of Romanian origin meaning "sweet, affectionate, tender".
Name Census estimates that about 1,350 living Americans carry the first name Calin. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 83.7% of registrations being male. The average person named Calin today is around 22 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Calin births was 2011 (70 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Calin. 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
1.4K
~ 1 in 253,892 Americans
Peak year
2011
70 babies that year
Average age
22
years old
2024 SSA rank
#5,257
Tracked since 1960
Gender
Gender distribution for Calin
Calin leans heavily male at 83.7% of total registrations, but 224 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Calin as a male name
- Ranked #5,257 in 2024
- 18 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2011 (64 births)
Calin as a female name
- Ranked #17,053 in 2014
- 5 female births in 2014
- Peak: 2001 (14 births)
Popularity
Calin: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Calin from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 6 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 398 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2010s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Calin 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 Calin during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Calins live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. California, Georgia, Pennsylvania recorded the most babies named Calin, while Washington, Texas, Florida recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 9 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Calin
The name Calin has its origins in the Romanian language. It is a diminutive form of the name Calina, which is derived from the Greek word "kalos," meaning beautiful or handsome. The name was initially used in the regions of present-day Romania and Moldova, where the Romanian language has been spoken for centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Calin can be found in a 16th-century document from the region of Wallachia, which was part of the Romanian principalities at the time. The document mentions a boyar (nobleman) named Calin, although specific details about his life and accomplishments are limited.
In the 17th century, the name gained popularity among the Romanian nobility and was associated with individuals of high social standing. One notable figure from this period was Calin Brancoveanu (1654-1714), a Prince of Wallachia who is remembered for his cultural and architectural contributions, including the construction of the Brancoveanu Palace in Bucharest.
As the name spread beyond the borders of Romania, it gained recognition in other parts of Europe and the world. In the 19th century, a French poet named Calin Lenoir (1803-1859) gained acclaim for his works, which celebrated the beauty of nature and the human spirit.
Another noteworthy individual was Calin Popescu-Tăriceanu (born 1952), a Romanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania from 2004 to 2008. His political career spanned several decades, and he played a significant role in Romania's transition to democracy after the fall of communism.
More recently, the name has been associated with artists and public figures, such as Calin Georgescu (born 1953), a Romanian-Canadian composer and conductor known for his contributions to contemporary classical music. Calin Petcu (born 1982) is a Romanian professional basketball player who has represented his country in international competitions.
While the name Calin has maintained its Romanian roots, it has also gained recognition in other countries and cultures, with variations in spelling and pronunciation. However, its connection to the concept of beauty and its historical ties to the Romanian culture and language remain an integral part of its meaning and significance.
People
Calin + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Calin 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
Calin: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Calin?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,350 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Calin 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 253,892 US residents.
Is Calin a common name?
We classify Calin as "Rare". It ranks above 91.8% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,376 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Calin most popular?
The single biggest year for Calin was 2011, when 70 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Calin is about 22 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Calin a male name?
Yes, 83.7% of people registered as Calin 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.