Kaeleb
An English derivative of the Hebrew name Caleb meaning "devotion to God".
Name Census estimates that about 628 living Americans carry the first name Kaeleb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kaeleb today is around 17 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kaeleb births was 2008 (41 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kaeleb. 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 Kaeleb with official rankings and popularity over time.
People living today
628
~ 1 in 545,787 Americans
Peak year
2008
41 babies that year
Average age
17
years old
2024 SSA rank
#9,379
Tracked since 1994
Census
Kaeleb in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 483 people with the first name Kaeleb, which placed it at #21,136 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
#21,136
National first-name rank
People counted
483
483 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
White
48.4% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Kaeleb
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaeleb is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.4%) and Black (16.6%). 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 Kaeleb 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 Kaeleb at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White48.4% · 234
- Hispanic or Latino17.4% · 84
- Black or African American16.6% · 80
- Two or more races11.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.1% · 20
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.1% · 10
Popularity
Kaeleb: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kaeleb from the 1990s through to the 2020s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 269 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 2000s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kaeleb 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 Kaeleb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Kaelebs live
The SSA's state-level files cover 3 states and territories. Texas, New York, California recorded the most babies named Kaeleb, while California, New York, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 12 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kaeleb
The given name Kaeleb is believed to have originated from the Hebrew language, derived from the root word "kalev," which means "dog" or "puppy." This name likely emerged during the ancient Biblical times, although its exact origins and early usage remain uncertain.
In the Old Testament, the name Kalev is mentioned as one of the Israelite spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. This biblical figure, also known as Caleb, is praised for his faith and obedience to God, and he is rewarded with the inheritance of the land of Hebron.
The spelling variation "Kaeleb" is thought to have emerged later, possibly influenced by other languages or cultural adaptations. It is worth noting that the name has been transliterated differently across various regions and time periods, leading to various spellings and pronunciations.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the name Kaeleb was Kaeleb ibn Wahab, an Arabic poet and scholar who lived in the 8th century CE. He was known for his contributions to Arabic literature and his influential works on grammar and rhetoric.
Another notable figure bearing this name was Kaeleb Ebanks, a renowned sailor and explorer from the Cayman Islands who lived in the 18th century. He played a significant role in mapping and navigating the Caribbean region, contributing to the development of maritime exploration.
In the 19th century, Kaeleb Kloss was a prominent German philosopher and educator. He advocated for educational reforms and was instrumental in shaping the modern German educational system. His works on pedagogy and philosophy were highly influential during his time.
Kaeleb Davenport was an American artist and sculptor who lived in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He was known for his intricate woodcarvings and sculptures, many of which depicted scenes from nature and wildlife.
Lastly, Kaeleb Noel was a French resistance fighter during World War II. He played a crucial role in the underground resistance movement against the Nazi occupation, risking his life to aid in the fight for freedom and liberation.
These are just a few examples of individuals throughout history who bore the name Kaeleb, highlighting its diverse cultural and historical roots, as well as its enduring presence across various fields and time periods.
People
Kaeleb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kaeleb as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with K
Other first names starting with K with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Kaeleb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kaeleb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 628 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kaeleb 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 545,787 US residents.
Is Kaeleb a common name?
We classify Kaeleb as "Very Rare". It ranks above 86.7% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 635 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kaeleb most popular?
The single biggest year for Kaeleb was 2008, when 41 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kaeleb is about 17 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Kaeleb in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 483 people with the name Kaeleb, or 0.16 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #21,136 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 Kaeleb 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 Kaeleb?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Kaeleb appears almost entirely male. Of the 481 people counted with this name, 99.2% were male and only a very small share were female. 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 Kaeleb?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Kaeleb is White at 48.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (17.4%) and Black (16.6%). 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 Kaeleb most often in the Census?
White is the largest reported group for people named Kaeleb in the 2020 Census, accounting for 48.4% (234 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 Kaeleb in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kaeleb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kaeleb 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 Kaeleb still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kaeleb 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 Kaeleb 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 called Kaeleb?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.