This name is Hebrew, and in Hebrew there are no vowels. However, with different vowels between the consonants, this name means different things. Celeb would mean dog, but Caleb means bold or courageous. I talked to a Hebrew scholar about this and that is what he said.
I love this name becuse it means more good things than bad things. It has a deep history. I didn't like some of the comments that were made. That's my son's name and it is beautiful unlike some names these kids get these days that are vain or just don't have any meaning at all. Please respect the name Caleb, it is in the bible and Caleb was one of the few that made it to the promised land!
Sorry, but I don't like the name. It is not very nice sounding and who cares if it was in the bible. A lot of biblical names don't sound nice. Just because I named my son a non-biblical name (Ryan) does not mean I am a vain person or a non-Christian.
I've also researched this name and found the meanings "bold, courageous, impetuous." This is more befitting the Biblical character than "dog," in my opinion. My second son is named Caleb and happens to exhibit those traits.
― Anonymous User 2/17/2006
Beautiful, my son is called Caleb and I don't think ignorant people should call it awful.
― Anonymous User 4/25/2006
I just love the name Caleb. It sounds rugged and handsome and it's not overused, yet. I wish I had named one of my boys Caleb.
― Anonymous User 4/26/2006
Strong, very masculine, and slightly exotic. Much more handsome and fresh than many of the over-used biblical names.
Exactly, the name Caleb derived from Kalev which means 'like the heart' and certainly not kelev which means a dog, and it doesn't mean any of these: bold, courageous, impetuous, people are mistaken for thinking that.
― Anonymous User 11/26/2006
I love the name Caleb. It makes me think of a funny, nice sort of guy. I love the look of this name, too.
Caleb is a nice name, I don't have anything against it. I disagree with anyone who says "who cares if it's in the Bible." Because even though there are a lot of good names that aren't in the Bible, it doesn't mean that we should totally ignore the fact that names are biblical.
― Anonymous User 12/20/2006
I love this name - the sound, the look, everything. I also like that Caleb was a biblical figure, and a very good one at that. I plan on using this name someday myself!
I really like this name! It sounds like it would belong to someone carefree and creative. I like the meaning "brave, faithful" more than "dog", for obvious reasons.
Huh? What's with all the hostility? This name isn't ugly at all, and resonates quite well too. It also flows fairly well too. I'm appalled at the fact that people seem to dislike the name just because it's Biblical.
If Caleb really does mean dog, the Caleb in the Bible sure proved his parents wrong. He was really cool!
― Anonymous User 6/4/2007
Dogs aren't bad at all (in fact, most of them are really cute!), so why is it bad that Caleb means dog? By the way, I DO know a dog named Caleb, plus a few humans named Caleb, too!
― Anonymous User 7/30/2007
In Hebrew, "dog" is KELEV.KELEV KALEBI think the difference is big enough. They're not really the same at all.
― Anonymous User 8/19/2007
I've recently really come to love this name. I think "Cal" is a great nickname for it. Now for the first time I realize that when you really like a name, you don't care how popular it is, provided it's a name with some history and heritage. I wish I could name my coming grandson Caleb, but it's not my decision to make!
This name is sweet. I had thought of naming my baby this name, but decided on another. Caleb is becoming more popular. I don't care for the meaning of Dog, but as stated above, it can also relate to loyalty, which makes sense. Kaleb is nice too.
― Anonymous User 10/11/2007
Caleb is one of Adam's sons in Steinbeck's East of Eden. He goes by Cal, and is one of the Cain characters.
The name Caleb does not come from the Hebrew word for dog. Dog in Hebrew is Kelev, and the name Caleb in Hebrew is Calev (CA-lev). Although they are written almost the same, and consist of the 3 basic letters (root letters), Caleb comes from the Hebrew word for Cage, "Cloov". In the Bible Dictionary it is said the "Caleb" means "trapper". I'd say it makes more sense.
― Anonymous User 11/28/2008
I LOVE dogs! So I wouldn't even care if this name meant dog at all. I think that this is a way of the meaning of loyalty. Dog means loyalty. So if Caleb has the meaning of dog he also has the meaning of loyalty. So I would just go with the loyalty meaning if you don't like the dog meaning.So Caleb means loyalty. I LOVE the name Caleb. It reminds me of the over popular name Jacob which I also like.
― Anonymous User 1/2/2009
Caleb is an Ancient name. Yes it is biblical. Personally I love that about the name. But even if you don't care that it is biblical, you can at least respect the history of the name. This is a great name. It is also adorable for a little boy and it ages well.
― Anonymous User 1/2/2009
Caleb Snyder was a popular character on the soap opera _As the World Turns_ starting in the 80s. I wouldn't doubt many Caleb babies are a result of this character.
I like this name, I don't care if it means "dog." It also fits in my story, because that Caleb can morph into a wolf. Wolf, dog, get it?
― Anonymous User 2/6/2009
I never really noticed this name, but since I've became a huge fan of Kings of Leon I kinda started to really love it - their lead singer is named Caleb.
Caleb is tacky, trashy, and babyish. Once he turns five, there is no point in keeping this name. I hate the spellings Kaleb, Kalob, and Khaleb even more.
To add to my other comment, I don't think this name is really "childish" in the bad way, just more of like... not really a harsh masculine name for a tough biker dude. Basically, this name only fits certain types of guys, but it is a cute name. =)
I really like this name. It's much more refreshing and not as common as Jacob. However, I can't stand all the other spellings. Kaleb, Cayleb, and Kaylub just don't look right. It should be spelt Caleb.
I loved this name all my life because I thought it sounded sweet, like a lamb or something. It was the name of the first boy I ever kissed when I was little! When I grew up I knew another Caleb, though, and even though he's beautiful on the outside, he's very empty as a person and an ass; the "dog" meaning is fitting! Too bad he ruined one of my favorite names that I used to want to use for a boy.
This name is a nice name, but for me I just don't have good associations because of a very mean person who bore this name. It is funny seeing that the meaning is "dog" because he acted like one. Anyway, I would love to see a cute little boy with this name to help me get over my bad associations.
Caleb is pronounced as "Colev" in Hebrew meaning "Whole-Hearted" or "Faithful" Caleb is actually a compound word in Hebrew - something that is quite common in ancient Hebrew. Col (Cuf + Lamed) = all or whole. Lev (Lamed + Vet) = heart. Many name books / websites list the meaning of Caleb as "Dog". "Dog" in Hebrew is Celev, not Caleb:.
I had never heard of this name until I found out that the lead singer of Kings of Leon is called Caleb. I really love this name, even though it says that it has English roots, I think it sounds very American.
― Anonymous User 7/25/2013
I liked the name Caleb even before I knew it had a dog association; now I like it even more. Dogs are loving and loyal, and many are bold and courageous as well, so it all fits. I like Cabe as a nickname.
Caleb Stonewall (also known as Fudou Akio) is a character in Inazuma Eleven.
― Anonymous User 10/6/2014
One usage of this name or word (kaf-lamed-bet in Hebrew) is found in Deuteronomy 23:18 in connection with verse 17. According to Koehler & Baumgartner's Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament, one meaning of the word is "(ritual) paederaste," or, prepubescent sexual abuse of boys as catamites.Moses, at 120 years old, on the east side of the River Jordan, prior to the crossing over of the children of Israel into the Promised Land, warned that Israelites must not imitate the pagan practices of the Canaanites. It was common for some young pagan children to become male/female temple prostitutes.
Hello! As a third culture person speaking fluent Hebrew I would like to point some things out:Things this name does not mean at all: 'dog' 'courageous' 'faithful' 'cage/trapper' 'bold'Things this name DOES mean:'all heart' - as in, a simplification of a person who wears his heart on his sleeve. It is a fusion of two words כולו לב (kulo lev). The first word relates specifically to a personification of the word 'whole' or 'entire' which means it doesn't simply say 'all' but 'all of a person'. The second word means 'heart'. The Hebrew word for 'dog'(kelev) כלב is spelled exactly the same as Caleb, but the vowel on the first letter makes a different sound. Thus, both of them are not at all related (kAlev =/= kElev).
There's a Caleb in Divergent! And Caleb Logan was on Bratayley, the YouTube channel. He actually passed away on October 1st, 2015. He was only 13 years old though :( I think Caleb is a wonderful name, and I don't get why it's getting so much hate. :)
I really like this name, but wouldn't use it due to how common it's becoming. I have also heard quite a few Calebs getting the nickname "Cale," and seeing as that makes me think of kale, I dislike it, ha ha.
This name is really gross, and I can't imagine it on someone who's over the age of 10.
― Anonymous User 6/29/2016
I just don't like this name at all. The fact of how it's "dog" in arabic puts me off a lot. The name sounds really disgusting too.
― Anonymous User 7/7/2016
This is my daughter's name but she goes by Libby. I know a lot of people don't like masculine names on a girl but it suits her, she's never been made fun of and I've received nothing but positive comments so far.Also, if you research the name it doesn't necessarily mean "dog" and in fact, there's no consensus on the etymology but another theory is that it means "whole hearted".
― Anonymous User 8/4/2016
Love this name. It was my only option for my son's name when he was born but I did change the spelling of it slightly, his name is spelt Calib. I've never seen anyone else with it spelt this way.
― Anonymous User 10/17/2016
This is my name and people that know me like my name. I was surprised to see the hate it's got on this forum! In every school I attended, I was the only Caleb and all the students knew me because my name was special. As far as I know, it's a good name and I learned to love it!