UK boy's name
Cale
Variant of the Irish surname meaning "thin" or "slender".
For 2026, the newest official UK baby-name figures on this page are from 2018. That release is the current official benchmark rather than a forecast.
Cale is a boy's name in the UK records. People looking for Cale popularity in 2026 should use the latest official release, which is 2018 in this profile. In that release it ranked #4749, with 3 babies registered with the name. Its strongest year in the published records was 2003, with 15 births.
This profile covers 161 England and Wales registrations across 21 recorded years from 1996 to 2018. 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 20% of the recorded peak, which gives a quick read on how the name has moved since its high point.
We estimate that about 169 living people in the UK are called Cale. 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 2019 or 2026.
Key insights
- • Cale ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales in 2018, with 3 registrations.
- • The name peaked in 2003, when 15 boys were registered as Cale.
- • Cale ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #548 in 2010.
- • About 169 living people in the UK are estimated to have Cale as a first name, after adjusting past birth registrations with ONS life tables.
Latest rank (E&W)
#4749
2018
Births in 2018
3
Latest year
Peak year
2003
15 births
Estimated living
169
2026
Meaning
What does Cale mean?
The given name Cale has its origins in the Gaelic and Celtic languages. It is derived from the word "cailech" which means "stern" or "hard". The name dates back to the early medieval period and was commonly used in parts of Scotland, Ireland, and Wales.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Cale can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history. The Annals mention a Cale mac Scannlain, who was an Irish king and chieftain in the 10th century.
In Welsh mythology, there is a character named Cale who appears in the story of Culhwch and Olwen. Cale is depicted as a powerful giant and is tasked with hunting the legendary boar Twrch Trwyth.
The name Cale gained popularity in Scotland during the Middle Ages. One notable figure was Cale MacDonald, a Scottish chieftain who lived in the 13th century. He is remembered for his role in the Scottish Wars of Independence against the English.
During the Renaissance period, the name Cale was also used in England. Cale Overton (1515-1609) was an English clergyman and scholar who served as the Bishop of Coventry and Lichfield.
In more recent history, Cale Yarborough (born 1939) is an American former professional race car driver. He was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame in 2012 and is considered one of the greatest drivers in the sport's history.
Other notable individuals with the first name Cale include Cale Gundy (born 1972), an American football coach and former player, and Cale Fleury (born 1998), a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Seattle Kraken in the NHL.
Sourced from namecensus.com.
Popularity
Cale over time
The chart below shows babies named Cale registered in England and Wales in the years where the name appears in the published records, from 1996 to 2018. Empty years are left out so rare names are not stretched across long periods where the published files do not show any registrations.
For Cale, the clearest high point is 2003. The latest England and Wales figure is 3 births in 2018, compared with 15 at the peak.
Babies born per year
Decades
Cale by decade
Decade totals smooth out the yearly jumps and make it easier to see whether Cale 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 | #3562 | 35 | 7 |
| 2000s | #1865 | 94 | 10 |
| 1990s | #1527 | 32 | 4 |
Geography
Where Cale is most common
The bars show the latest published local birth counts for Cale. 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.
Cale ranks best in Scotland in the latest published regional snapshot for that area, where it placed #548 in 2010.
Across the UK
Cale in Scotland and Northern Ireland
Scotland (NRS)
#548 in 2010
3 years of NRS records, 10 total registered
Related
Names similar to Cale
- 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
Cale: questions and answers
How popular is the name Cale in the UK right now?
In 2018, Cale was ranked #4749 for boys in England and Wales, with 3 births registered.
When was Cale most popular?
The peak year on record was 2003, with 15 babies registered as Cale in England and Wales.
What is the meaning and origin of Cale?
Variant of the Irish surname meaning "thin" or "slender".
How many people are called Cale in the UK?
A total of 161 babies have been registered as Cale across the 21 years of ONS England & Wales records shown here, plus 10 more in Scotland.
Where is Cale most common?
In the latest published local rankings, Cale ranks best in Scotland, where it placed #548 in 2010. 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.