How Many People Are Named Cal?
An estimated 6,054 people in the United States have the first name Cal. It is almost exclusively a male name. The average bearer is 26 years old, and Cal peaked in popularity in 2024 with 408 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Cal as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, state-by-state birth registrations, and, when available, a 2020 Census snapshot showing who had the name at that point in time. You can also check how many people share the full name Cal paired with any surname.
Estimated Living Americans
6,054
About 1 in 56,616 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Male
99.9% confidence
Average Age
26
years old
Peak Year
2024
408 births
Total Registered
7,313
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Cal
Cal is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 7,313 total births registered, 99.9% were male.
Cal as a male name
Ranked #670 in 2024
408 male births in 2024
Peak: 2024 (408 births)
Cal as a female name
Ranked #5,930 in 1955
5 female births in 1955
Peak: 1954 (5 births)
Cal in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 5,529 people with the first name Cal, which placed it at #3,677 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The estimated living count elsewhere on this page is different: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two figures are not expected to match exactly.
Read this section as a snapshot of people who already had the name in 2020. The SSA charts elsewhere on this page are still the better way to see how the name rose, fell, or shifted across generations.
Gender in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, Cal was recorded as predominantly male. Out of 5,529 people with this name in that snapshot, 96.0% were male and 4.0% were female. That is very close to the long-run birth pattern in SSA records, where the name is male 99.9% of the time.
Census Count
5,529
people with this name
Census Rank
#3,677
among Census first names
Frequency Rate
1.83
per 100,000 people
Recorded Race and Hispanic Origin in the 2020 Census
In the 2020 Census, the first name Cal was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (78.21%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (9.33%) and Hispanic (4.79%).
These percentages describe the people who had the first name Cal in the 2020 Census. They do not tell you the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
2020 Census demographic breakdown
Each row shows a recorded Census category for people with the first name Cal.
| Group | Share | Count |
|---|---|---|
| White | 78.21% | 4,324 |
| Black | 9.33% | 516 |
| Hispanic | 4.79% | 265 |
| Two or More Races | 4.05% | 224 |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 2.80% | 155 |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.81% | 45 |
Cal: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Cal span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2020s, when 1,622 babies were registered. Cal remains highly popular today, with recent registration numbers near its historical peak.
Cal by Decade
How has Cal tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
Cal by State
Birth registrations for Cal span all 38 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in California, Texas, Wisconsin. The lowest are in Mississippi, Virginia, South Dakota. On average, about 86 Cals were registered per state.
Cal + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Cal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Cal
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
Cal: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Cal?
We estimate approximately 6,054 people named Cal are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 56,616 Americans share this first name.
Is Cal a common name?
Cal is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 96.9% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 7,313 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Cal most popular?
Cal reached peak popularity in 2024, when 408 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Cal is approximately 26 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
How common was Cal in the 2020 Census?
The 2020 Census recorded 5,529 people with the first name Cal. That placed it at #3,677 in the published Census first-name tables, or 1.83 people per 100,000.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census number is a count of people with the name in 2020. The living estimate is a current model based on SSA birth records and survival rates, so it aims to estimate how many people with the name are alive now.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The popularity chart tracks birth registrations, not people currently alive. It shows how often Cal was given to babies from 1880 through 2024, which is why it is the best tool on the page for seeing long-run naming trends.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Cal?
In the 2020 Census snapshot, Cal was recorded as predominantly male. The published split was 96.0% male and 4.0% female.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Cal?
In the 2020 Census, the first name Cal was most commonly recorded among people who identified as White (78.21%). The next largest recorded groups were Black (9.33%) and Hispanic (4.79%). These percentages describe the people who had the name in the 2020 Census, not the deeper meaning or origin of the name itself.
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census published separate first-name tables for sex and for race and Hispanic origin. Those totals can differ slightly for the same name, so the page uses them as two related snapshots rather than treating them as perfectly interchangeable counts.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name tables only include names that met the Bureau's publication rules. That means some names on this site will have SSA history but no published Census demographic snapshot.
Is Cal a male name?
Cal is predominantly male. 99.9% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
Why can Cal have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because a name can build up a large population over many decades. Cal peaked in 2024, and the average living bearer is about 26 years old, so a name can still have millions of living bearers even after it stops feeling current for newborns.
How many Cal Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Cal Smith, Cal Johnson, Cal Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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