2000
#9,387
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,183
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.18
Rare Last name
Cale
An English toponymic surname derived from a place of residence near a cale, meaning a cabbage field.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,262 Americans carry the last name Cale. That puts it at #10,718 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 105,075 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Cale surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Cale with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.3K
1 in 105,075
Census rank
#10,718
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,845 bearers of the surname Cale in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10718th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Cale, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Cale
The surname Cale is believed to have originated in France, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 12th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old French word "cal," meaning "bald" or "hairless," possibly referring to a distinguishing physical characteristic of an early bearer of the name.
One of the earliest recorded references to the Cale surname can be found in the Cartulaire de l'abbaye de Saint-Père de Chartres, a medieval cartulary from the Saint-Père Abbey in Chartres, France. The document, dated around 1150, mentions a person named "Gislebertus Cale."
In England, the Cale surname appears to have been introduced during the Norman Conquest of 1066, when many French nobles and their followers settled in the country. The Domesday Book, a detailed survey of land ownership commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, records several individuals with variations of the name, such as "Cale" and "Calley."
Notable individuals with the surname Cale include John Cale, a Welsh musician and founding member of the influential rock band Velvet Underground, born in 1942. Another prominent figure is Noel Cale, an English footballer who played for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1960s and 1970s, born in 1944.
In literature, one can find references to the Cale surname in works such as "The Canterbury Tales" by Geoffrey Chaucer, where a character named "Cale" is mentioned. Additionally, the name appears in various historical records and documents throughout the centuries, such as the "Calendar of the Patent Rolls" from the reign of King Edward III, which mentions a "John Cale" in 1348.
Other notable individuals with the Cale surname include Robert Cale, an English painter and engraver active in the 17th century, and John Cale, a British actor and playwright who lived from 1889 to 1981. The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Cale Green in Cheshire, England, and Cale Lane in Virginia, USA.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Cale
Among Census respondents with the surname Cale, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Cale bearers 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 surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Cale surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.8% · 2,385
- Black or African American5.8% · 165
- Hispanic or Latino4.3% · 123
- Two or more races3.9% · 110
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.4% · 40
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Cale
Cale appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#10,044
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,207
+24 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.09
Rank movement Down 657 places
2020
#10,718
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,845
-362 bearers (-11.3%)
Per 100,000 0.95
Rank movement Down 674 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,387 | 3,183 | 1.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,044 | 3,207 | 1.09 | +24 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 657 places |
| 2020 | #10,718 | 2,845 | 0.95 | -362 bearers (-11.3%) | Down 674 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Cale surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #10,044 | #10,718 | -6.7% |
| Count | 3,207 | 2,845 | -11.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.09 | 0.95 | -12.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Cale bearers went from 3,207 to 2,845 (-11.3% change). The surname moved down 674 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,044 to #10,718.
FAQ
Cale surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Cale?
Name Census estimates that about 3,262 living Americans carry the surname Cale. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 105,075 residents.
How common is Cale?
Cale ranks #10,718 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.95 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,845 people with the surname Cale. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,262), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.95 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.95 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Cale.
Has Cale become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Cale went from 3,207 recorded bearers to 2,845. That is a decrease of 362 (-11.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,044 to #10,718.
What does the Census say about the background of Cale?
Among Census respondents with the surname Cale, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.8%. The next largest groups are Black (5.8%) and Hispanic (4.3%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Cale in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.8% (2,385 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Cale appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.8%), Black (5.8%), Hispanic (4.3%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Cale (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Cale mean?
An English toponymic surname derived from a place of residence near a cale, meaning a cabbage field. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Cale (0.95 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Cale?
You can see how many people have the last name Cale on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.