Cayleb
A masculine name of English origin, a variant spelling of Caleb, meaning "devoted" or "whole-hearted".
Name Census estimates that about 1,015 living Americans carry the first name Cayleb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Cayleb today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Cayleb births was 2009 (81 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Cayleb. 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
- • Cayleb is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 17 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.0K
~ 1 in 337,689 Americans
Peak year
2009
81 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#7,308
Tracked since 1989
Popularity
Cayleb: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Cayleb 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 442 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
Cayleb 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 Cayleb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Caylebs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 7 states and territories. Texas, California, Florida recorded the most babies named Cayleb, while Oklahoma, Kentucky, Ohio recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 26 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Cayleb
The name Cayleb is a modern variation of the name Caleb, which has its origins in the Hebrew language. The name Caleb is derived from the Hebrew word "kelev," meaning "dog" or "whole-hearted." It is believed to have originated in the ancient Middle East region, particularly in the land of Canaan, which is now known as modern-day Israel and Palestine.
Caleb is a biblical name, appearing in the Old Testament of the Bible. In the Book of Numbers, Caleb is one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to scout the land of Canaan. He and Joshua were the only two spies who remained faithful and believed that the Israelites could conquer the land with God's help. As a result, Caleb was rewarded with a portion of the land in the region of Hebron.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Caleb can be found in the Hebrew Bible, which dates back to around the 6th century BCE. However, the name's popularity and usage have varied across different cultures and time periods.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Caleb or its variations. One of the earliest examples is Caleb Pusey (1651-1727), an English Quaker who emigrated to Pennsylvania and became a prominent landowner and judge in the colony.
Another notable Caleb was Caleb Cushing (1800-1879), an American lawyer, diplomat, and politician who served as the United States Attorney General under President Franklin Pierce.
In the realm of literature, Caleb Williams is the title character of the novel "Caleb Williams" by William Godwin, published in 1794. The novel explores themes of social injustice and the pursuit of truth.
More recently, Caleb Carr (born 1955) is an American novelist and military historian, best known for his novel "The Alienist," which was adapted into a television series.
Caleb Plant (born 1992) is an American professional boxer who has held multiple world championships in the super middleweight division.
While the name Cayleb is a modern variation, it is important to note that it is not as widely used or recorded throughout history as the original Hebrew name Caleb. However, the name's biblical and historical significance, as well as its meaning of "whole-hearted" or "faithful," have contributed to its enduring popularity across various cultures and time periods.
People
Cayleb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Cayleb 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
Cayleb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cayleb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,015 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Cayleb 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 337,689 US residents.
Is Cayleb a common name?
We classify Cayleb as "Rare". It ranks above 90.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,026 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Cayleb most popular?
The single biggest year for Cayleb was 2009, when 81 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Cayleb is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Cayleb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Cayleb 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.