Declining since 2022, #6,803 for boys today.
Popularity of Calem since 1977
Babies named Calem per year in U.S. Social Security records. Raw births topped out in 2009, but relative to how few babies were recorded back then, Calem's real moment was 2023.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1970s | 5 |
| 1980s | 22 |
| 1990s | 65 |
| 2000s | 128 |
| 2010s | 139 |
| 2020s | 78 |
Meaning & origin
Calem is a modern masculine name that entered U.S. records in 1977, part of a wave of inventive respellings of established names like Caleb and Callum. Its trajectory reveals a gradual upward trend, peaking in 2023 before beginning a slight decline since 2022. By 2025, Calem ranked 6,803rd in the nation, with approximately 1 in 142,340 boys receiving the name that year. Despite its low overall frequency, it has maintained a consistent presence, showing how contemporary parents adapt familiar sounds into distinctive choices. The name has not yet appeared among the top states, indicating its niche appeal.
Calem is a modern invented name, likely a respelling of Caleb (from Hebrew 'kelev', meaning 'dog') or an Irish-style variant of Callum (from Latin 'columba', meaning 'dove'). It first appeared in U.S. records in 1977 and has seen a slow rise in use, peaking in 2023.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Cal
Sibling names for Calem
Names that share Calem's style, for a brother or sister.
