Callum
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- KAL-um
- Origin
- Latin
- UK rank, 2025
- #203 for boys
- US rank, 2025
- #118 for boys
Big in ScotlandBig in Northern Ireland
Callum is a boys' name of Latin origin, meaning “dove”. In 2025 it ranked 203rd for boys in the UK (278 babies) and 118th for boys in the US (2,995 babies).
What does Callum mean?
Latin: Scottish Gaelic form of Columba, from Latin
“dove”
Linked with St Columba, the 6th-century Irish monk who founded the monastery on Iona and spread Christianity in Scotland.
More on Wiktionary.
Is Callum a girl's or a boy's name?
Callum is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 278 boys in the UK and 8 girls and 2,995 boys in the US.
How popular is Callum in the UK?
- Rank in 2025
- #203among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 278about 1 in 1,100 boys
- Five-year trend
- Fallingdown 43% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 1.3%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 278 boys in the UK were named Callum, making it the 203rd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 126th. Its busiest year was 1998, with 6,229 boys.
2025 had the fewest boys named Callum since the records began in 1996.
Half of all the boys named Callum in the UK since 1996 were born between 1999 and 2008. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.
In 2025, 312 boys in the UK were given Callum or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #192, up from #203 for this spelling alone.
Among boys in 2025, it was 251st in England and Wales, 68th in Scotland and 107th in Northern Ireland.
In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1994 (#31), 2004 (#18) and 2014 (#82).
Callum in the UK, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 278 | #203 |
| 2024 | 323 | #176 |
| 2023 | 317 | #182 |
| 2022 | 343 | #168 |
| 2021 | 424 | #150 |
| 2020 | 503 | #126 |
| 2019 | 478 | #133 |
| 2018 | 630 | #113 |
| 2017 | 768 | #98 |
| 2016 | 862 | #91 |
| 2015 | 1,136 | #64 |
| 2014 | 1,125 | #65 |
| 2013 | 1,121 | #64 |
| 2012 | 1,670 | #48 |
| 2011 | 1,983 | #43 |
| 2010 | 2,465 | #36 |
| 2009 | 2,946 | #28 |
| 2008 | 3,079 | #24 |
| 2007 | 3,642 | #18 |
| 2006 | 4,667 | #11 |
| 2005 | 4,286 | #13 |
| 2004 | 3,949 | #16 |
| 2003 | 3,900 | #17 |
| 2002 | 4,142 | #17 |
| 2001 | 4,722 | #13 |
| 2000 | 5,494 | #10 |
| 1999 | 6,185 | #8 |
| 1998 | 6,229 | #8 |
| 1997 | 5,264 | #14 |
| 1996 | 4,728 | #18 |
How popular is Callum in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #118among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 2,995about 1 in 570 boys
- Five-year trend
- Rising fastup 224% in five years
- Same name in a class
- 2.4%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 2,995 boys in the US were named Callum, making it the 118th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 336th. It first appears in the records in 1983. 8 girls were also named Callum in 2025 (10,913th for girls).
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 9 years. 2025 had the most boys named Callum of any year since it first appeared, in 1983.
Half of all the boys named Callum in the US since 1880 were born between 2017 and 2024, the years shaded on the chart below.
In 2025, 3,466 boys in the US were given Callum or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #114, up from #118 for this spelling alone.
Callum in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2,995 | #118 |
| 2024 | 2,266 | #158 |
| 2023 | 1,645 | #221 |
| 2022 | 1,417 | #249 |
| 2021 | 1,264 | #273 |
| 2020 | 968 | #336 |
| 2019 | 671 | #449 |
| 2018 | 493 | #558 |
| 2017 | 433 | #608 |
| 2016 | 349 | #706 |
| 2015 | 369 | #685 |
| 2014 | 327 | #732 |
| 2013 | 287 | #782 |
| 2012 | 275 | #807 |
| 2011 | 253 | #846 |
| 2010 | 250 | #845 |
| 2009 | 240 | #879 |
| 2008 | 205 | #974 |
| 2007 | 168 | #1,088 |
| 2006 | 142 | #1,185 |
| 2005 | 104 | #1,410 |
| 2004 | 105 | #1,372 |
| 2003 | 112 | #1,268 |
| 2002 | 82 | #1,511 |
| 2001 | 87 | #1,425 |
| 2000 | 79 | #1,510 |
| 1999 | 73 | #1,528 |
| 1998 | 58 | #1,738 |
| 1997 | 66 | #1,547 |
| 1996 | 67 | #1,497 |
| 1995 | 47 | #1,836 |
| 1994 | 39 | #2,077 |
| 1993 | 19 | #3,362 |
| 1992 | 24 | #2,828 |
| 1991 | 17 | #3,456 |
| 1990 | 11 | #4,667 |
| 1989 | 8 | #5,608 |
| 1988 | 6 | #6,420 |
| 1987 | 7 | #5,453 |
| 1986 | 7 | #5,327 |
| 1985 | 5 | #6,517 |
| 1984 | 5 | #6,311 |
| 1983 | 6 | #5,481 |
Nicknames for Callum
- Cal 10 boys in the UK in 2025
Names like Callum
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Liam Connor Cameron Owen Luke Dylan Kian Nathan Ethan Elliot Dominic Ryan
Other spellings of Callum
Names related to Callum
More Latin names
Oliver Olivia Leo Roman Aurora Emily Florence Mabel Luna Nora Rosie Emilia Max Nova Lucy Julian
Sources
Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.
To cite this page: Nameling, “Callum: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/callum, updated 20 October 2026.