A LITTLE UNCOMMON. ENTIRELY YOURS.
Meaning, origin and pronunciation, with published usage by place and year.
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Dove, in the Calum-derived short-name tradition.
The Cal entry explicitly identifies a Calum short form; Calum supplies the Latin dove formation through Columba. Cal is also documented for Caleb, Calvin and Caroline, whose name histories are different. The old bold gloss is not applied universally.
English
Licensed Oddity Software Baby Names Plus database. Cleaned and matched to this spelling; not independently verified. The source label may describe language, region, or tradition rather than a precise linguistic derivation.
Oddity Software · licensed source label.
/kæl/
Recorded English personal-name reading, approximately KAL. This is not a pronunciation transfer from a longer name or from a same-spelled non-name sense.
Recorded English reading, as published. Accents and preferred pronunciations can differ.
Counts apply only to the exact spelling, place, year and recorded usage shown. Places are separate; these figures are never added into a worldwide total. Missing or suppressed records never mean zero.
| Place | Year | Recorded usage | Published births | Rank | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Canada | 2025 | Boys | 29 · preliminary | 885 | 2025 figures are preliminary. Quebec counts below five are randomly imputed by the publisher before national aggregation. Accents are removed in the source; this profile was matched only where the catalog spelling was unambiguous. Unpublished values are unknown, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| England & Wales | 2025 | Boys | 4 | 4275 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Northern Ireland | 2025 | Boys | 3 | 395 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Scotland | 2025 | Boys | 3 | 762 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| Ireland | 2025 | Boys | 6 | 509 | Names below three occurrences are unpublished. Accent recording changed in 2018; comparisons across that boundary may not describe the same spelling coverage. Counts refer to registrations in the year. Missing years are unavailable, not zero. Rank basis: source published. |
| United States | 1955 | Girls | 5 | 5828 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
| United States | 2025 | Boys | 554 | 542 | Source-reported counts; unpublished names are not zero. Rank basis: calculated from published counts. |
Canada, Ireland and France coverage includes confidently matched existing profiles only; unmatched spellings are awaiting review. French counts are rounded to five.
Open an entry for its source, credit, licence and full qualifications. Different name traditions remain separate.
Checked against cited source
The exact English personal-name entry records short-form use. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The Cal entry explicitly identifies a Calum short form; Calum supplies the Latin dove formation through Columba. Cal is also documented for Caleb, Calvin and Caroline, whose name histories are different. The old bold gloss is not applied universally. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal, Calum, Columba entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Calum&oldid=93367993; https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Columba&oldid=92132232. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented parent-name elements and retained the distinction between short-form formation and a literal root meaning. No source quotations, images or recordings reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact personal-name entry explicitly records these parent names. Their meanings are different, so Cal does not have one universal translation across all traditions. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English Cal entry explicitly records a short form of Caleb. These are alternative naming traditions, not a single shared literal meaning. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English Cal entry explicitly records a short form of Calum. These are alternative naming traditions, not a single shared literal meaning. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English Cal entry explicitly records a short form of Calvin. These are alternative naming traditions, not a single shared literal meaning. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
The exact English Cal entry explicitly records a short form of Caroline. These are alternative naming traditions, not a single shared literal meaning. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Oddity Software · licensed source
Licensed Oddity Software Baby Names Plus database. Cleaned and matched to this spelling; not independently verified. The source label may describe language, region, or tradition rather than a precise linguistic derivation.
Licensed publication use; not an open-data license
Checked against cited source
Recorded English personal-name reading, approximately KAL. This is not a pronunciation transfer from a longer name or from a same-spelled non-name sense. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
Checked against cited source
Syllable count for the exact recorded English personal-name reading. Credit: Wiktionary contributors, exact Cal entries. Sources: https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=Cal&oldid=92636919. License: CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Adaptation: Rare Baby Names summarized the documented name route or language-specific relationship. No source audio, images or quotations reused.
Credit: Wiktionary contributors. Adapted by Rare Baby Names: wording shortened and name contexts separated. Recorded pronunciations are shown as published.
This adapted text is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
CC BY-SA 4.0
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View statistics source (link unavailable)
Attribution: Source: NISRA : Website: www.nisra.gov.uk
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: (C) Crown copyright. Data supplied by National Records of Scotland.
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence
License: Open Government Licence v3.0
Attribution: U.S. Social Security Administration
Credit: Statistics Canada, Table 17-10-0147-01, 1991–2025, released 23 September 2026.
License: Statistics Canada Open Licence
Adaptation: Adapted from Statistics Canada, First names at birth by sex at birth, selected indicators, Table 17-10-0147-01, reference years 1991–2025. This does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada of this product.
Credit: Central Statistics Office, Ireland, VSA50 and VSA60, updated 27 February 2026.
License: CC BY 4.0
Adaptation: Adapted by Rare Baby Names: joined the published count and rank indicators and matched unambiguous existing spellings. Source values retained.
