Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Cale

Cale is a shortened form of Caleb. Caleb is a Biblical name borne by an early Israelite and one of two (Joshua being the other) who set out with Moses from Egypt and lived long enough to reach the Promised Land (Numbers 26:65). “For the Lord had said of them, ‘They shall die in the wilderness.’ Not one of them was left, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.” The name Caleb comes from the Hebrew “kéleb” which means “dog” perhaps symbolizing Caleb’s dog-like devotion to God. It was the Puritans after the Reformation who rediscovered the little-known Caleb from the Bible. It was their practice to adopt lesser known Biblical characters. Bestowing such names on their children symbolized an act of modesty to the religious nonconformists. It was the Puritans who brought Caleb to America and it became a name of choice among the religiously austere. Right now Caleb is experiencing a healthy revival in the United States (as well as elsewhere in the English-speaking world). Cale followed Caleb’s rising popularity as a one-syllable truncated version of the name.

All About the Baby Name – Cale

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME CALE

The Three energy is powerful and enthusiastic. These personalities are cheerful, full of self-expression, and often quite emotional. They have an artistic flair and "gift-of-gab" that makes them natural entertainers. Their joyfulness bubbles over, and their infectious exuberance draws a crowd. The Three personality is like a child - forever young and full of delight. They are charming, witty, and generally happy people. The Three personality lives in the "now" and has a spontaneous nature. Threes seem to live with a bright and seemingly unbreakable aura that attracts others to them. In turn, they are deeply loyal and loving to their friends and family. Luck also has a tendency to favor number Threes.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME CALE

Cale debuted on the American Top 1000 list for the first time in 1969, although it didn’t adhere to the charts until they late 1970s and early 80s (this was right around the time that Caleb began his meteoric rise to the top). Cale has always remained at or near the bottom of the charts, and is more often considered a pet form of Caleb rather than a stand-alone name in his own right. Kale has also entered the charts in recent years bringing a little more competition to the game (as has Kaleb). Kale, however, is considered the Hawaiian form of Charles and is generally pronounced with two syllables. Not to mention Kale is also the name of a healthy leafy green in the cabbage family (good name for vegetarians?). Cael and Kael are also similar looking and similar sounding names when compared to Cale, but they have different etymologies (Cáel is Irish). Cale is a minimalistic one-syllable pet form of Caleb and the best choice for dog-loving parents.

Quick Facts

ON CALE

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

English

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

1

RANKING POPULARITY:

905

PRONUNCIATION:

KAYL

SIMPLE MEANING:

Dog

Characteristics

OF CALE

Communicative

Creative

Optimistic

Popular

Social

Dramatic

Happy

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Cale

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME CALE

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Cale

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME CALE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Cale


Popular Songs

ON CALE

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Cale


Famous People

NAMED CALE

William Caleb "Cale" Yarborough (race car driver)
Cale Hulse (hockey player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED CALE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Cale

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME CALE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Cale