Meaning not yet researched.
Cal: US boys given the name each year, 1880 to 2025, from Social Security card applications. 554 in 2025. Its best rank was #393 in 1880.
US births per year · SSA card applications
Peaked at #393 in 1880; #543 in 2025. Every baby recorded as Cal in 2025 was a boy.
Baby name · US data 1880–2025
#543 for US boys in 2025. Its best year was 1880, at #393.
Hover, tap or use the arrow keys for any year. Years with fewer than five babies of a sex are not published by SSA and show as zero.
Cal: US boys given the name each year from 1880 to 2025. 554 boys in 2025. Peak: #393 in 1880 · most boys in one year: 554 (2025).
In 2025, 554 US boys were named Cal, making it the 543rd most common boys’ name of the year, up 127 places from #670 in 2024. That is 145 more than the 409 boys named Cal in 2024. Its best rank for boys was #393, reached in 1880. The most boys given the name in a single year was 554, in 2025. For comparison, it was #1,255 in 2015 and #1,235 in 1950.
Social Security card records list Cal in 143 years of the 146 from 1880 to 2025, starting in 1880 with 19 babies. In all, 7,868 US babies have been given the name, 0.1% of them girls and 99.8% boys. Its busiest decade was the 2020s, with 2,177 babies named Cal.
Over the 10 years from 2016 to 2025, 2,812 US boys were named Cal; the busiest of those years was 2025, with 554. In 2025 that was about 1 in 3,083 of the boys in SSA’s list for the year.
Among the states, Cal ranked highest in Wyoming in 2025, at #95 for boys there. It was in the top 100 in 1 state (counting DC). Related spellings in the SSA files include Caleb (325,003 babies since 1880), Calvin (222,287 babies since 1880), Callum (16,089 babies since 1880) and Cale (8,291 babies since 1880). Rarer spellings such as Kail, Kayl and Cathal are summarised on this page.
Meaning not yet researched.
We publish a meaning only with a cited source and a confidence label, and never generate one. Meanings are being researched for the most common names first.
Rare spellings summarised here: Kail (642), Kayl (235), Cathal (40), Kahl (22).
Numbers are all-time US births. Links come from Wikidata’s “said to be the same as” (P460, CC0) and our spelling rule: at most two letters different, with the same sound pattern.
No nicknames listed for Cal in the open dataset we use.
Cal is listed as a nickname for Caleb, Callie, Calvin.
Source: carltonnorthern/nicknames (Apache-2.0).
US boys. Rank within each state. SSA leaves out states where fewer than five boys got the name, so 18 are not listed.
| State | Births 2025 | Rank 2025 | Rank 2015 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 5 | #95 | — |
| Utah | 34 | #158 | #481 |
| Iowa | 21 | #193 | — |
| North Dakota | 6 | #201 | — |
| Idaho | 12 | #217 | — |
| Nebraska | 10 | #249 | — |
| Wisconsin | 23 | #256 | #559 |
| Washington | 29 | #258 | #978 |
| Minnesota | 22 | #279 | — |
| Massachusetts | 17 | #323 | — |
| Kansas | 11 | #330 | #598 |
| Oklahoma | 14 | #331 | — |
| Oregon | 12 | #333 | — |
| Missouri | 19 | #337 | — |
| Illinois | 27 | #402 | #907 |
| Arizona | 16 | #446 | — |
| Nevada | 6 | #455 | — |
| Indiana | 14 | #486 | — |
| Colorado | 11 | #507 | #808 |
| South Carolina | 9 | #510 | — |
| California | 56 | #546 | #1,021 |
| Tennessee | 13 | #558 | — |
| Pennsylvania | 14 | #637 | — |
| Alabama | 5 | #781 | — |
| Michigan | 9 | #781 | #722 |
| Texas | 34 | #794 | #1,300 |
| Ohio | 10 | #811 | — |
| Florida | 18 | #813 | — |
| New Jersey | 7 | #843 | — |
| New York | 15 | #887 | #1,256 |
| Virginia | 7 | #891 | — |
| Georgia | 9 | #927 | — |
| North Carolina | 6 | #1,167 | — |
Births and national rank for each year SSA lists the name, newest first.
| Year | Girls | Girls rank | Boys | Boys rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | — | — | 554 | #543 |
| 2024 | — | — | 409 | #670 |
| 2023 | — | — | 373 | #712 |
| 2022 | — | — | 343 | #748 |
| 2021 | — | — | 263 | #879 |
| 2020 | — | — | 235 | #937 |
| 2019 | — | — | 166 | #1,168 |
| 2018 | — | — | 150 | #1,235 |
| 2017 | — | — | 159 | #1,176 |
| 2016 | — | — | 160 | #1,185 |
| 2015 | — | — | 144 | #1,255 |
| 2014 | — | — | 129 | #1,341 |
| 2013 | — | — | 99 | #1,570 |
| 2012 | — | — | 90 | #1,689 |
| 2011 | — | — | 88 | #1,688 |
| 2010 | — | — | 88 | #1,728 |
| 2009 | — | — | 94 | #1,668 |
| 2008 | — | — | 90 | #1,693 |
| 2007 | — | — | 100 | #1,566 |
| 2006 | — | — | 85 | #1,672 |
| 2005 | — | — | 90 | #1,558 |
| 2004 | — | — | 84 | #1,567 |
| 2003 | — | — | 88 | #1,481 |
| 2002 | — | — | 95 | #1,388 |
| 2001 | — | — | 89 | #1,403 |
| 2000 | — | — | 88 | #1,410 |
| 1999 | — | — | 69 | #1,582 |
| 1998 | — | — | 72 | #1,518 |
| 1997 | — | — | 93 | #1,242 |
| 1996 | — | — | 112 | #1,080 |
| 1995 | — | — | 84 | #1,275 |
| 1994 | — | — | 47 | #1,829 |
| 1993 | — | — | 52 | #1,682 |
| 1992 | — | — | 68 | #1,372 |
| 1991 | — | — | 51 | #1,632 |
| 1990 | — | — | 41 | #1,876 |
| 1989 | — | — | 33 | #2,108 |
| 1988 | — | — | 37 | #1,821 |
| 1987 | — | — | 23 | #2,405 |
| 1986 | — | — | 36 | #1,729 |
| 1985 | — | — | 36 | #1,703 |
| 1984 | — | — | 43 | #1,461 |
| 1983 | — | — | 32 | #1,754 |
| 1982 | — | — | 28 | #1,936 |
| 1981 | — | — | 33 | #1,731 |
| 1980 | — | — | 32 | #1,770 |
| 1979 | — | — | 24 | #2,111 |
| 1978 | — | — | 20 | #2,291 |
| 1977 | — | — | 31 | #1,712 |
| 1976 | — | — | 34 | #1,577 |
| 1975 | — | — | 31 | #1,634 |
| 1974 | — | — | 28 | #1,698 |
| 1973 | — | — | 25 | #1,784 |
| 1972 | — | — | 34 | #1,456 |
| 1971 | — | — | 24 | #1,826 |
| 1970 | — | — | 37 | #1,375 |
| 1969 | — | — | 26 | #1,609 |
| 1968 | — | — | 41 | #1,189 |
| 1967 | — | — | 31 | #1,366 |
| 1966 | — | — | 43 | #1,133 |
| 1965 | — | — | 33 | #1,337 |
| 1964 | — | — | 53 | #1,036 |
| 1963 | — | — | 67 | #911 |
| 1962 | — | — | 51 | #1,072 |
| 1961 | — | — | 48 | #1,139 |
| 1960 | — | — | 65 | #942 |
| 1959 | — | — | 60 | #993 |
| 1958 | — | — | 61 | #969 |
| 1957 | — | — | 78 | #849 |
| 1956 | — | — | 71 | #889 |
| 1955 | 5 | #5,930 | 47 | #1,091 |
| 1954 | 5 | #5,831 | 49 | #1,069 |
| 1953 | — | — | 49 | #1,036 |
| 1952 | — | — | 42 | #1,137 |
| 1951 | — | — | 47 | #1,040 |
| 1950 | — | — | 34 | #1,235 |
| 1949 | — | — | 33 | #1,255 |
| 1948 | — | — | 50 | #990 |
| 1947 | — | — | 44 | #1,095 |
| 1946 | — | — | 27 | #1,356 |
| 1945 | — | — | 26 | #1,301 |
| 1944 | — | — | 29 | #1,236 |
| 1943 | — | — | 28 | #1,312 |
| 1942 | — | — | 26 | #1,361 |
| 1941 | — | — | 25 | #1,336 |
| 1940 | — | — | 21 | #1,477 |
| 1939 | — | — | 22 | #1,426 |
| 1938 | — | — | 17 | #1,697 |
| 1937 | — | — | 21 | #1,489 |
| 1936 | — | — | 25 | #1,327 |
| 1935 | — | — | 23 | #1,425 |
| 1934 | — | — | 23 | #1,428 |
| 1933 | — | — | 21 | #1,507 |
| 1932 | — | — | 23 | #1,471 |
| 1931 | — | — | 21 | #1,549 |
| 1930 | — | — | 19 | #1,700 |
| 1929 | — | — | 15 | #2,013 |
| 1928 | — | — | 19 | #1,770 |
| 1927 | — | — | 26 | #1,480 |
| 1926 | — | — | 30 | #1,332 |
| 1925 | — | — | 21 | #1,686 |
| 1924 | — | — | 32 | #1,295 |
| 1923 | — | — | 31 | #1,304 |
| 1922 | — | — | 23 | #1,597 |
| 1921 | — | — | 30 | #1,367 |
| 1920 | — | — | 22 | #1,652 |
| 1919 | — | — | 19 | #1,761 |
| 1918 | — | — | 29 | #1,316 |
| 1917 | — | — | 29 | #1,271 |
| 1916 | — | — | 11 | #2,404 |
| 1915 | — | — | 26 | #1,310 |
| 1914 | — | — | 20 | #1,348 |
| 1913 | — | — | 17 | #1,264 |
| 1912 | — | — | 7 | #2,076 |
| 1911 | — | — | 8 | #1,303 |
| 1910 | — | — | 10 | #1,054 |
| 1909 | — | — | 5 | #1,485 |
| 1908 | — | — | 5 | #1,407 |
| 1907 | — | — | 6 | #1,216 |
| 1906 | — | — | 11 | #762 |
| 1905 | — | — | 8 | #937 |
| 1903 | — | — | 6 | #1,029 |
| 1902 | — | — | 8 | #873 |
| 1900 | — | — | 10 | #848 |
| 1898 | — | — | 8 | #814 |
| 1897 | — | — | 9 | #733 |
| 1896 | — | — | 6 | #1,000 |
| 1895 | — | — | 12 | #611 |
| 1894 | — | — | 9 | #743 |
| 1893 | — | — | 11 | #620 |
| 1892 | — | — | 10 | #694 |
| 1891 | — | — | 9 | #653 |
| 1890 | — | — | 13 | #540 |
| 1889 | — | — | 13 | #530 |
| 1888 | — | — | 9 | #710 |
| 1887 | — | — | 5 | #949 |
| 1886 | — | — | 7 | #775 |
| 1885 | — | — | 5 | #957 |
| 1884 | — | — | 6 | #869 |
| 1883 | — | — | 14 | #484 |
| 1882 | — | — | 16 | #457 |
| 1881 | — | — | 10 | #568 |
| 1880 | — | — | 19 | #393 |
About the data: counts are Social Security card applications for US births, for names given to at least five babies of a sex in a year (SSA, names.zip, public domain). Ranks follow SSA’s own order: most births first, ties alphabetical. Files retrieved 2026-10-05 (checksum on our sources page).