Thirty years of Caleb
Caleb in numbers
Caleb has risen from 177 boys in 1996 to 624 in 2025, though it is below its peak of 853 in 2017. Its biggest three-year rise came between 2007 and 2010, from 458 to 747. It ranked 183rd in 1996, reached 72nd in 2023 and ranks 82nd now. On average it was given to 224 boys a year in the late 1990s, 371 in the 2000s, 734 in the 2010s and 706 in the 2020s so far.
† Shapes, averages and turning points are Baby Data calculations from the ONS counts.
Milestones
First year in each bandChange
- On last year-12%713 to 624
- 5 years-6%665 to 624
- 10 years-5%659 to 624
- 20 years+61%388 to 624
- Since 1996×4177 to 624
- Total, 1996 to 202516,177boys
† All changes and totals are Baby Data calculations from ONS counts. A total adds only the published years.
Across the three nations, 2025
Each from its own statistics office, never added togetherRank 82 · ONS · 713 in 2024
Rank 49 · NRS · 101 in 2024
Rank 36 · NISRA · 60 in 2024
England and Wales (ONS) count births in the calendar year; Scotland (NRS) and Northern Ireland (NISRA) count births registered in the year. Each comes from its own statistics office and they are never added together.
Year by year, 1996 to 2025 Show all 30 yearsHide the table
| Year | Rank | Babies | Change† | 1 in X† |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 82 | 624 | -12% | 1 in 482 |
| 2024 | 75 | 713 | -1% | 1 in 428 |
| 2023 | 72 | 718 | -5% | 1 in 422 |
| 2022 | 74 | 758 | +0% | 1 in 410 |
| 2021 | 76 | 758 | +14% | 1 in 422 |
| 2020 | 85 | 665 | -4% | 1 in 473 |
| 2019 | 89 | 693 | -11% | 1 in 475 |
| 2018 | 79 | 776 | -9% | 1 in 435 |
| 2017 | 77 | 853 | +5% | 1 in 408 |
| 2016 * | 86 | 810 | +23% | 1 in 440 |
| 2015 | 99 | 659 | +2% | 1 in 543 |
| 2014 | 93 | 648 | -5% | 1 in 551 |
| 2013 | 88 | 679 | -11% | 1 in 528 |
| 2012 | 85 | 763 | +8% | 1 in 491 |
| 2011 | 89 | 709 | -5% | 1 in 523 |
| 2010 | 87 | 747 | +21% | 1 in 497 |
| 2009 | =104 | 615 | +14% | 1 in 589 |
| 2008 | 109 | 539 | +18% | 1 in 673 |
| 2007 | 121 | 458 | +9% | 1 in 774 |
| 2006 | =125 | 420 | +8% | 1 in 815 |
| 2005 | 131 | 388 | +22% | 1 in 852 |
| 2004 | 147 | 318 | +19% | 1 in 1,032 |
| 2003 | 158 | 268 | +24% | 1 in 1,188 |
| 2002 | 173 | 216 | -11% | 1 in 1,417 |
| 2001 | 154 | 242 | -1% | 1 in 1,259 |
| 2000 | =149 | 245 | +15% | 1 in 1,264 |
| 1999 | =161 | 213 | -6% | 1 in 1,499 |
| 1998 | 154 | 227 | -18% | 1 in 1,436 |
| 1997 | 135 | 278 | +57% | 1 in 1,185 |
| 1996 | =183 | 177 | 1 in 1,884 |
* ONS’s boys’ 2016 file repeats the October total as September, so the 2016 births total is about 932 too low and 1 in X for 2016 is slightly too low. Rank follows ONS: names with the same count share a rank (shown with =). “Under 3” means the name was given to fewer than 3 babies that year, so ONS did not publish it.
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Source: Office for National Statistics, Baby names in England and Wales, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0; National Records of Scotland; NISRA. Exact spellings are counted separately and names given to fewer than 3 babies are not published. Figures marked † are Baby Data calculations. How we calculate