2000
#32,026
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 680
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Caler
A surname derived from an occupation related to hawking or selling goods.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 706 Americans carry the last name Caler. That puts it at #38,660 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 485,488 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caler 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.
Bearers in the US
706
1 in 485,488
Census rank
#38,660
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
616
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 616 bearers of the surname Caler in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 38660th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caler
The surname Caler is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "calor," which means "man from the quarry." This suggests that the name may have been given to someone who worked in a quarry or lived near one.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caler can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, a comprehensive survey of landholdings and population in England commissioned by William the Conqueror. In the book, a person named Radulfus Caler is listed as a tenant in the county of Essex.
During the 13th century, the name Caler appeared in various historical records, often with slight variations in spelling, such as Calere, Callere, and Calor. One notable example is John Caler, a merchant from London who was mentioned in the city's customs records in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name Caler was recorded in several places across England, including the village of Caler in Wiltshire. This village likely took its name from the surname, suggesting that the Caler family may have been prominent landowners in the area.
One of the earliest known bearers of the Caler surname was Sir William Caler, a knight who fought alongside King Edward III in the Battle of Crécy during the Hundred Years' War in 1346. He was born around 1320 and died in 1378.
Another notable figure with the surname Caler was Richard Caler, a wealthy merchant from Bristol who lived in the late 15th century. He was involved in the wool trade and served as the mayor of Bristol in 1482.
In the 16th century, the name Caler appeared in various records, including the parish registers of several English counties. One example is Thomas Caler, who was born in Gloucestershire in 1537 and worked as a blacksmith.
During the 17th century, the Caler surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One notable bearer of the name from this period was Robert Caler, a Scottish soldier who fought in the English Civil War and was captured by Parliamentarian forces in 1645.
John Caler, born in 1672 in Oxfordshire, was a prominent figure in the 18th century. He was a successful merchant and philanthropist who founded a school for underprivileged children in his hometown.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caler
Among Census respondents with the surname Caler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Caler 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 Caler surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.8% · 553
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 24
- Two or more races3.4% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 8
- Black or African American1.0% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caler
Caler 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
#38,582
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 573
-107 bearers (-15.7%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 6,556 places
2020
#38,660
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 616
+43 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 78 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #32,026 | 680 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,582 | 573 | 0.19 | -107 bearers (-15.7%) | Down 6,556 places |
| 2020 | #38,660 | 616 | 0.21 | +43 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 78 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 Caler 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 | #38,582 | #38,660 | -0.2% |
| Count | 573 | 616 | 7.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.21 | 8.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caler bearers went from 573 to 616 (+7.5% change). The surname moved down 78 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,582 to #38,660.
FAQ
Caler surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caler?
Name Census estimates that about 706 living Americans carry the surname Caler. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 485,488 residents.
How common is Caler?
Caler ranks #38,660 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.21 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 616 people with the surname Caler. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (706), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.21 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.21 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Caler.
Has Caler become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caler went from 573 recorded bearers to 616. That is an increase of 43 (+7.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,582 to #38,660.
What does the Census say about the background of Caler?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caler, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Caler in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.8% (553 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caler appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.8%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (3.4%). 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 Caler (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 Caler mean?
A surname derived from an occupation related to hawking or selling goods. 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 Caler (0.21 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 are called Caler?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Caler on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.