Declining since 2011, #4,050 for boys today.
Popularity of Khaleb since 1995
Babies named Khaleb per year in U.S. Social Security records.
Data table (by decade)
| Decade | Boys |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 55 |
| 2000s | 277 |
| 2010s | 489 |
| 2020s | 219 |
Meaning & origin
Khaleb is a modern respelling of the biblical Caleb, first recorded in U.S. births in 1995. While the original name Caleb has been a top-50 staple for decades, Khaleb is much rarer, ranking 4050 in 2025 with only about 1 in 66,000 boys receiving the name. Its peak year was 2010, and it has been on a gradual decline since 2011. Geographically, the spelling is most popular in Texas, suggesting a regional or cultural preference for the 'Kh' variant. Parents choosing Khaleb are often seeking a distinctive twist on a familiar classic.
Khaleb is a modern spelling variant of the name Caleb, which has biblical origins. The name Caleb appears in the Old Testament, possibly derived from the Hebrew word kelev meaning 'dog,' or from a root meaning 'whole-hearted' or 'devotion.' The spelling Khaleb introduces a 'kh' to reflect the Hebrew letter kaf, but it is a 20th-century American innovation.
Where Khaleb is most popular
Births per 100,000 boys by state, 2025. The lightest shade means too few recorded births.
“Khaleb” around the world
Where Khaleb lands in the latest official birth statistics abroad, matched to the U.S. spelling.
France
5
babies in 2024
Sources: INSEE (France).
Nicknames & variants
Nicknames: Khale, Kaleb, K
Sibling names for Khaleb
Names that share Khaleb's style, for a brother or sister.
