Gender Masculine
Scripts כָּלֵב(Ancient Hebrew)
Pronounced Pron. KAY-ləb(English)  [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

Most likely related to Hebrew כֶּלֶב (kelev) meaning "dog". An alternate theory connects it to Hebrew כָּל (kal) meaning "whole, all of" and לֵב (lev) meaning "heart". In the Old Testament this is the name of one of the twelve spies sent by Moses into Canaan. Of the Israelites who left Egypt with Moses, Caleb and Joshua were the only ones who lived to see the Promised Land.

As an English name, Caleb came into use after the Protestant Reformation. It was common among the Puritans, who introduced it to America in the 17th century.

Related Names

VariantKaleb(English)
DiminutiveCale(English)
Other Languages & CulturesChaleb(Biblical Greek) Kalev(Biblical Hebrew) Chaleb(Biblical Latin)

People think this name is

classic   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   simple   serious  

Images

Israelite spies (presumably Caleb and Joshua) carrying grapes in a painting by  Nicolas Poussin (1664)Israelite spies (presumably Caleb and Joshua) carrying grapes in a painting by Nicolas Poussin (1664)

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Entry updated May 29, 2020