UK boy's name
Caileb
A variant of Caleb, meaning "devotion to God" in Hebrew.
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2017. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Caileb is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Caileb popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2017 in this profile. In that release it ranked #3996, with 4 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2014, with 4 births.
This profile covers 24 England and Wales registrations across 7 recorded years from 2000 to 2017. The figures come from ONS England and Wales and NRS Scotland, so the page is a view of published baby-name registrations rather than a forecast or a live count of people using the name today.
The latest count is about 100% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 29 living people in the UK are called Caileb. This uses published birth registrations from England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then applies ONS national life tables to estimate how many are likely still alive. It does not forecast extra births for 2018 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Caileb ranked #3996 for boys in England and Wales in 2017, with 4 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2014, when 4 boys were registered as Caileb.
- • Caileb ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #532 in 2016.
- • About 29 living people in the UK are estimated to have Caileb as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#3996
2017
Births in 2017
4
Latest year
Peak year
2014
4 births
Estimated living
29
2026
Meaning
What does Caileb mean?
The name Caileb is a variant spelling of the Hebrew name Caleb, which is derived from the Biblical figure Caleb, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses to scout the Promised Land. The name Caleb is derived from the Hebrew word "kelev," meaning "dog" or "wholehearted."
The name Caleb is first mentioned in the Book of Numbers in the Hebrew Bible, where Caleb is described as one of the two spies who remained faithful to God and encouraged the Israelites to enter the Promised Land. This story likely dates back to the 13th century BCE, during the time of the Exodus from Egypt.
In the Middle Ages, the name Caleb was popularized among Christians, particularly in England and other parts of Europe. One of the earliest recorded examples of the name Caleb is Caleb Davenport, an English Puritan who lived from 1607 to 1677.
Another notable individual named Caleb was Caleb Cushing, an American politician and diplomat who served as the Attorney General of the United States from 1853 to 1857. He was born in 1800 and died in 1879.
In literature, the name Caleb appears in Herman Melville's novel "Moby Dick," where Caleb is the name of a harpooner on the whaling ship Pequod. The novel was first published in 1851.
One of the most famous individuals named Caleb was Caleb Bradham, the American pharmacist who invented the soft drink Pepsi-Cola in 1898. He was born in 1867 and died in 1934.
Another notable Caleb was Caleb Cushing, a British artist and illustrator who lived from 1900 to 1981. He is best known for his illustrations for the "Everyman's Library" series of books.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Caileb over time
The chart below shows babies named Caileb registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 2000 to 2017. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Caileb, the clearest high point is 2014. The latest England and Wales figure is 4 births in 2017, compared with 4 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Caileb by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Caileb was a short-lived spike or a name that stayed in regular use. Average rank is calculated only from years where a published rank exists.
| Decade | Average rank | Total births | Years covered |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010s | #4342 | 21 | 6 |
| 2000s | #3036 | 3 | 1 |
Geography
Where Caileb is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Caileb. They are useful for spotting where the name is showing up in real numbers, while the rank beside each bar shows how strongly it performs inside that region.
Caileb ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #532 in 2016.
Across the UK
Caileb in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#532 in 2016
1 years of NRS records, 5 total registered
Related
Names similar to Caileb
- Charlie 104,761
- Callum 65,796
- Connor 53,072
- Cameron 40,394
- Charles 33,091
- Christopher 26,849
- Caleb 15,553
- Corey 12,622
- Carter 11,505
- Cody 11,075
- Conor 10,298
- Christian 9,695
FAQ
Caileb: questions and answers
How popular is the name Caileb in the UK right now?
In 2017, Caileb was ranked #3996 for boys in England and Wales, with 4 births registered.
When was Caileb most popular?
The peak year on record was 2014, with 4 babies registered as Caileb in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Caileb?
A variant of Caleb, meaning "devotion to God" in Hebrew.
How many people are called Caileb in the UK?
A total of 24 babies have been registered as Caileb across the 7 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 5 more in Scotland.
Where is Caileb most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Caileb ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #532 in 2016. The regional bars on this page use birth counts, so they also reflect the size of each region.
Which records is this page based on?
The England and Wales timeline uses ONS baby-name records. Scotland figures come from NRS and Northern Ireland figures come from NISRA. Counts are registrations in published baby-name files. The living estimate uses those birth registrations with ONS national life tables.