Declining since 2017, #6,803 for boys today.
Popularity of Caulder since 2005
Babies named Caulder per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 2000s | 12 |
| 2010s | 72 |
| 2020s | 55 |
Meaning & origin
Caulder is a modern surname-as-first-name that entered the U.S. charts in 2005, reflecting the trend toward Scottish and Irish surnames as given names. It reached its peak rank of 6,803 in 2018, but has been declining in popularity since 2017, with the trajectory continuing downward through 2025. The name is a respelling of Calder, which has deeper roots as a Scottish toponymic surname. Though still rare (about 1 in 142,340 boys in 2025), it fits alongside other surname-inspired choices like Keller and Ryder. No top states have recorded significant usage, suggesting the name is distributed thinly across the country.
Caulder is a respelling of the Scottish surname Calder, which derives from a place name meaning 'stony stream' from Gaelic 'cal' (stone) and 'dobhar' (water). As a given name it began appearing in the United States in the 2000s, likely influenced by the popularity of similar-sounding surnames as first names. There is no evidence of earlier use as a forename.
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Caud, Cally
Variants: Calder, Colder
Sibling names for Caulder
Names that share Caulder's style, for a brother or sister.
