Kalaeb
A masculine name of Hebrew origin meaning "faithful dog".
Name Census estimates that about 10 living Americans carry the first name Kalaeb. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Kalaeb today is around 24 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Kalaeb births was 1996 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Kalaeb. 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 Kalaeb. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
10
~ 1 in 34,275,434 Americans
Peak year
1996
5 babies that year
Average age
24
years old
2007 SSA rank
#13,385
Tracked since 1996
Popularity
Kalaeb: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Kalaeb from the 1990s through to the 2000s, spanning 2 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 5 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Kalaeb 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 Kalaeb during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Kalaeb
The name Kalaeb has its origins in the Semitic languages, specifically Hebrew and Arabic. It is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Caleb, which itself derives from the Hebrew word "kelev" meaning "dog" or "faithful companion."
In the Old Testament of the Bible, Caleb was one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to explore the land of Canaan. He and Joshua were the only two spies who remained faithful to God and believed that the Israelites could conquer the land. As a reward for his faithfulness, Caleb was granted the territory around Hebron as an inheritance.
The earliest recorded use of the name Kalaeb dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in medieval Arabic records. During this time, the name was popular among Muslims in the Middle East and North Africa, likely due to its connection with the biblical figure Caleb, who was also revered in Islamic tradition.
One of the earliest known individuals named Kalaeb was Kalaeb ibn al-Walid, a 12th-century Arab poet and scholar who lived in Andalusia, modern-day Spain. He was renowned for his contributions to Arabic literature and poetry.
In the 16th century, Kalaeb al-Rumi was a prominent Ottoman calligrapher and poet. He was known for his mastery of the Arabic script and his beautiful calligraphic works adorned many mosques and palaces throughout the Ottoman Empire.
Another notable bearer of the name was Kalaeb ibn Shayban, a 7th-century Arab military commander and companion of the Prophet Muhammad. He played a significant role in the early Muslim conquests and is remembered for his bravery and leadership on the battlefield.
During the 17th century, Kalaeb al-Halabi was a Syrian scholar and theologian who wrote extensively on Islamic jurisprudence and theology. His works were widely studied and influential in the Islamic world.
In more recent times, Kalaeb Elmi was a Somali writer and poet who lived in the 20th century. He was known for his contributions to Somali literature and his efforts to preserve and promote the Somali language and culture.
People
Kalaeb + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Kalaeb 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
Kalaeb: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Kalaeb?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 10 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Kalaeb 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 34,275,434 US residents.
Is Kalaeb a common name?
We classify Kalaeb as "Very Rare". It ranks above 28.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 10 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Kalaeb most popular?
The single biggest year for Kalaeb was 1996, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Kalaeb is about 24 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 Kalaeb in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Kalaeb a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Kalaeb 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 Kalaeb still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Kalaeb 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 Kalaeb 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 Kalaeb?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.