Cal

Last seen for girls in 1955 at #5,828 · #542 for boys in 2025, 554 births
Given to boys 99.9% of the time

Showing
Show data for
Peak · boys
#392
1880 · 19 births
Debut · boys
1880
19 births
In top 100 · boys
never
of 146 years
Total births · boys
7,858
since 1880

Cal over time

boys

Rank among boys' names. Cal has never cracked the top 300 here.

#1#10#100#1,000rank188019001920194019601980200020201946peak #392, 1880boys
Hover or use arrow keys to read values by year; click or press Enter to open that year.

Gaps mean fewer than 5 babies received the name that year, so the SSA doesn't publish it.

Show data table
Yeargirlsboys
rankbirthsrankbirths
2025—#542554
2024—#670409
2023—#711373
2022—#748343
2021—#879263
2020—#935235
2019—#1,167166
2018—#1,234150
2017—#1,175159
2016—#1,183160
2015—#1,252144
2014—#1,340129
2013—#1,56899
2012—#1,68790
2011—#1,68788
2010—#1,72588
2009—#1,66594
2008—#1,69290
2007—#1,562100
2006—#1,66985
2005—#1,55490
2004—#1,56584
2003—#1,47888
2002—#1,38495
2001—#1,40089
2000—#1,40888
1999—#1,58069
1998—#1,51572
1997—#1,24293
1996—#1,079112
1995—#1,27584
1994—#1,82247
1993—#1,68052
1992—#1,37168
1991—#1,63251
1990—#1,87041
1989—#2,10633
1988—#1,81537
1987—#2,40023
1986—#1,72536
1985—#1,69836
1984—#1,45843
1983—#1,74832
1982—#1,92928
1981—#1,72633
1980—#1,76532
1979—#2,10424
1978—#2,27920
1977—#1,70731
1976—#1,57234
1975—#1,63031
1974—#1,69228
1973—#1,78225
1972—#1,45334
1971—#1,82324
1970—#1,37437
1969—#1,60526
1968—#1,18341
1967—#1,36431
1966—#1,13143
1965—#1,33533
1964—#1,03553
1963—#91167
1962—#1,06951
1961—#1,13648
1960—#94065
1959—#99360
1958—#96961
1957—#84978
1956—#88971
1955#5,8285#1,09147
1954#5,7535#1,06849
1953—#1,03349
1952—#1,13642
1951—#1,04047
1950—#1,23234
1949—#1,25233
1948—#98950
1947—#1,09344
1946—#1,35527
1945—#1,29626
1944—#1,23529
1943—#1,30828
1942—#1,35826
1941—#1,33325
1940—#1,47121
1939—#1,42522
1938—#1,68917
1937—#1,48121
1936—#1,32625
1935—#1,42223
1934—#1,42523
1933—#1,49821
1932—#1,46523
1931—#1,53821
1930—#1,69319
1929—#2,00215
1928—#1,76019
1927—#1,46826
1926—#1,33130
1925—#1,67921
1924—#1,28732
1923—#1,30031
1922—#1,59123
1921—#1,36030
1920—#1,64222
1919—#1,75219
1918—#1,31329
1917—#1,26429
1916—#2,38911
1915—#1,30626
1914—#1,34220
1913—#1,25617
1912—#2,0457
1911—#1,2908
1910—#1,04510
1909—#1,4405
1908—#1,3735
1907—#1,2006
1906—#75211
1905—#9198
1904——
1903—#1,0096
1902—#8628
1901——
1900—#83610
1899——
1898—#8048
1897—#7259
1896—#9826
1895—#60912
1894—#7309
1893—#61511
1892—#68810
1891—#6359
1890—#53313
1889—#52513
1888—#7049
1887—#9215
1886—#7587
1885—#9365
1884—#8486
1883—#47914
1882—#45316
1881—#56310
1880—#39219
First appearance
1880

In the first year the SSA published name data, Cal was already there! It came in at #392, and was given to 19 baby boys.

Quietest stretch: 1899, when fewer than 5 boys a year got the name.

Where Cal is popular in 1946

No state had 5 or more boys named Cal in 1946, so the SSA doesn't publish it for any state.

See more about Cal
Momentum · boys
Rising
  • 128 spots since 2024 (#670 → #542)
  • 393 spots since 2020 (#935 → #542)
  • 710 spots since 2015 (#1,252 → #542)
  • Biggest jump: 257 spots in 1897 (#982 → #725)
  • Biggest drop: 448 spots in 1907 (#752 → #1,200)
Rise & fade · boys
Peaked on debut
  • Debuted 1880
  • Peaked 1880 at #392 (19 births)
  • Births halved by 1884, 4 yrs later
Top of the charts · boys
Top 1,000 for 36 yrs
  • Top 10: never
  • Top 100: never
  • Top 1,000: 36 yrs · run 1880–1898
Share of babies · boys
1 in 3,083
  • Highest: 1 in 3,083 boys born in 2025 were named Cal (0.03%)
  • Its best rank, #392 in 1880, was only 1 in 5,815 (0.02%) — a smaller share of a much bigger birth year
Era · boys
The 2020s
  • 27.7% of all boys named Cal (2,177) were born in this decade
Show by decade
DecadeBirthsBest rankAvg rank
1880s104#392 (1880)#658
1890s87#533 (1890)#702
1900s59#752 (1906)#1,049
1910s176#1,045 (1910)#1,500
1920s249#1,287 (1924)#1,542
1930s215#1,326 (1936)#1,496
1940s309#989 (1948)#1,269
1950s538#849 (1957)#1,030
1960s458#911 (1963)#1,171
1970s288#1,374 (1970)#1,742
1980s333#1,458 (1984)#1,837
1990s689#1,079 (1996)#1,507
2000s903#1,384 (2002)#1,538
2010s1,273#1,167 (2019)#1,402
2020s2,177#542 (2025)#748

All figures count published births only (names given to at least 5 boys in a year). Registrations before 1937 are incomplete, so early shares and totals run low.

Cal in 1946

boys
#1,355
27 births · 1 in 60,149 boys

Top boys' names in 1946

  1. #1James87,438
  2. #2Robert84,136
  3. #3John79,267
  4. #4William60,034
  5. #5Richard58,870
  6. #6David46,444
  7. #7Michael41,194
  8. #8Thomas38,877
  9. #9Charles38,215
  10. #10Ronald31,858
  11. #1,355Cal27
More about 1946

boys

1,624,023 boys got a published name in 1946; 1 in 60,149 of them was named Cal, which outranked 66.3% of the 4,018 boys' names that year. The ten most popular names covered 34.9% of boys (44.2% in 1880, 8.0% in 2025).

Ranked beside Cal
  1. #1,327Sampson28
  2. #1,327Valentin28
  3. #1,327Verlon28
  4. #1,355Cal27
  5. #1,355Augusta27
  6. #1,355Casimir27
  7. #1,355Celestino27
  8. #1,382Armond26
  9. #1,382Bartholomew26
  10. #1,382Burnett26

Tied with 26 names at #1,355; 3 shown. Tied names share a rank, as in SSA's lists.

Biggest movers since 1945
Risers
  1. ↑ 584Zachary#1,536 → #952
  2. ↑ 514Patric#1,494 → #980
  3. ↑ 385Kris#1,296 → #911
  4. ↑ 385Rich#1,296 → #911
  5. ↑ 380Furman#1,270 → #890
Fallers
  1. ↓ 469Layton#971 → #1,440
  2. ↓ 438Farris#971 → #1,409
  3. ↓ 394Delano#558 → #952
  4. ↓ 312Leopoldo#864 → #1,176
  5. ↓ 290Rosevelt#927 → #1,217

Among names in the top 1,000 of either year.

See the top 100 for 1946 →