Boy · Hebrew · Christian · International
Caleb
CalebSay it KAY-lub
- Meaning today
- Faithful, whole-hearted
- Original meaning
- "perhaps a form of keleb, 'dog', or from a root meaning 'forcible'" Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, H3612
- Say it
- KAY-lub
- Other spellings
- Kaleb
Caleb
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Caleb meaning
Caleb is a Christian and international boy's name of Hebrew origin.
Meaning today
Faithful, whole-hearted
Original Hebrew meaning
"perhaps a form of keleb, 'dog', or from a root meaning 'forcible'"
Source: Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (1890), Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary, H3612 · entry Kaleb · See the entry · checked 25 Oct 2026
Caleb is the Hebrew name Kaleb. Strong's Concordance is cautious about it: it says the name is perhaps a form of keleb, "dog", or else comes from the same root in the sense of "forcible". The man who made the name famous is the Caleb of the Book of Numbers, one of the twelve men Moses sent to spy out Canaan. When the others came back afraid, he and Joshua alone urged the people to trust God's promise, and scripture says he followed the Lord wholly (Numbers 14:24; Joshua 14:14). Name lists today give "faithful" or "whole-hearted"; these fit his story but are not dictionary senses of the name. Caleb is used for boys in Christian families.
References: Strong's Hebrew 3612, Kaleb (Bible Hub) · Numbers 14 (KJV, Bible Hub)
Famous namesakes
- Caleb, one of the twelve spies sent by Moses (Numbers 13–14)
Popularity abroad
- #58 United States, boys 2025 (down 9 from 49 in 2024)
US Social Security Administration - #82 England and Wales, boys 2025
Office for National Statistics
Official birth registrations. India publishes no national name statistics.
Spellings
Caleb · Kaleb