NameTides

Cal

Cal was the #542 boys' name in the US in 2025 (554 babies), and #4,275 in England & Wales and #885 in Canada.

Cal as a boy’s name

  • US
  • England & Wales
  • Scotland
  • Northern Ireland
  • Ireland
  • Canada
Cal as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.250.50.75118801900192019401960198020002020Northern IrelandUSIrelandCanadaScotlandEngland & Wales
Cal as a boy’s name, US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, CanadaBabies per 1,000 in the published list, 1880–2025, for US, England & Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Canada. Gaps mark years with too few babies to be published.00.250.50.7511880192019602000
Babies per 1,000 of the same sex in each published list. Breaks in a line are years with too few babies to be published.
Show the numbers
YearUSEngland & WalesScotlandNorthern IrelandIrelandCanada
2025#542 (554)#4,275 (4)#762 (3)#395 (3)#509 (6)#885 (29)
2024#670 (409)#2,264 (10)—#305 (5)#472 (7)#1,056 (23)
2023#711 (373)#4,108 (4)#614 (4)#395 (3)#472 (7)#1,283 (16)
2022#748 (343)#2,756 (7)——#572 (5)#1,895 (9)
2021#879 (263)#4,789 (3)#720 (3)—#631 (4)#2,260 (7)
2020#935 (235)—#426 (7)—#556 (5)#1,838 (9)
2019#1,167 (166)#3,013 (6)#701 (3)—#564 (5)#2,189 (7)
2018#1,234 (150)#2,693 (7)#704 (3)—#401 (9)#1,983 (8)
2017#1,175 (159)#2,324 (9)#602 (4)#363 (4)#610 (4)—
2016#1,183 (160)#3,478 (5)#592 (4)—#491 (6)#1,988 (8)
2015#1,252 (144)#1,673 (14)#529 (5)—#421 (8)—
2014#1,340 (129)#1,819 (12)#680 (3)—#550 (5)—
2013#1,568 (99)#1,920 (11)#466 (6)#398 (3)#605 (4)#2,086 (7)
2012#1,687 (90)#3,416 (5)#669 (3)——#2,158 (7)
2011#1,687 (88)#3,830 (4)#386 (8)———

The tide so far

  • Peaked in the US in 2025 at #542.
  • Rising over the last five years.
  • In the US records since the data begins in 1880.

How common is it?

about 1 in 3,100 baby boys in the published US list for 2025.

In a group of 1,000 children born that year, you would expect to meet fewer than 1. How we work this out.

How common, country by country

WhereSexLatest yearShareVerdict
USBoys2025about 1 in 3,100uncommon
England & WalesBoys2025about 1 in 67,000rare
ScotlandBoys2025about 1 in 6,500uncommon
Northern IrelandBoys2025about 1 in 2,800uncommon
IrelandBoys2025about 1 in 4,000uncommon
CanadaBoys2025about 1 in 5,500uncommon

Next year

On its recent trend, Cal is likely to keep rising in the US in 2026: about 1 in 2,700 baby boys. Likely range 1 in 2,400 to 1 in 3,100.

Estimate, not an official figure. How we estimate.

Across the US

Cal by state, 2025Alaska: fewer than 5 babiesAKMaine: fewer than 5 babiesMEWisconsin: #255WIVermont: fewer than 5 babiesVTNew Hampshire: fewer than 5 babiesNHWashington: #256WAIdaho: #214IDMontana: fewer than 5 babiesMTNorth Dakota: #191NDMinnesota: #275MNIllinois: #400ILMichigan: #768MINew York: #885NYMassachusetts: #318MAOregon: #326ORNevada: #443NVWyoming: #89WYSouth Dakota: fewer than 5 babiesSDIowa: #191IAIndiana: #483INOhio: #801OHPennsylvania: #631PANew Jersey: #829NJConnecticut: fewer than 5 babiesCTRhode Island: fewer than 5 babiesRICalifornia: #543CAUtah: #158UTColorado: #501CONebraska: #244NEMissouri: #336MOKentucky: fewer than 5 babiesKYWest Virginia: fewer than 5 babiesWVVirginia: #875VAMaryland: fewer than 5 babiesMDDelaware: fewer than 5 babiesDEArizona: #444AZNew Mexico: fewer than 5 babiesNMKansas: #324KSArkansas: fewer than 5 babiesARTennessee: #551TNNorth Carolina: #1,144NCSouth Carolina: #501SCDistrict of Columbia: fewer than 5 babiesDCOklahoma: #328OKLouisiana: fewer than 5 babiesLAMississippi: fewer than 5 babiesMSAlabama: #765ALGeorgia: #919GAHawaii: fewer than 5 babiesHITexas: #789TXFlorida: #809FL
Cal (boys) rank in each state, 2025. Hatched states recorded fewer than 5 babies.
  • #1–10
  • #11–50
  • #51–100
  • #101–500
  • below #500

Across Canada

ProvinceYearRankBabies
Ontario2024#90712

Cal (boys): rank in each province’s latest list. Only Quebec and Ontario publish full name lists; Ontario’s latest list is a year behind.

Spellings

Official statistics count each spelling separately, so we show them side by side rather than adding them up.

SpellingWhereSexLatest rankBabies
CalCanadaBoys#88529
CalEngland & WalesBoys#4,2754
CalIrelandBoys#5096
CalNorthern IrelandBoys#3953
CalScotlandBoys#7623
CalUSGirls—too few
CalUSBoys#542554