Kalev
- Gender
- Boy
- Say it
- kah-LEV
- Origin
- Hebrew
- US rank, 2025
- #5,606 for boys
Kalev is a boys' name of Hebrew origin, meaning “dog, or wholehearted”. In 2025 it ranked 5,606th for boys in the US (16 babies).
What does Kalev mean?
Hebrew: Hebrew form of Caleb; also an Estonian name
“dog, or wholehearted”
Modern Hebrew form of Caleb; in Estonia, Kalev is the legendary giant-king whose son is hero of the epic Kalevipoeg.
Is Kalev a girl's or a boy's name?
Kalev is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 16 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.
How popular is Kalev in the US?
- Rank in 2025
- #5,606among boys
- Babies in 2025
- 16about 1 in 110,000 boys
- Five-year trend
- Steadyup 13% in five years
- Same name in a class
- under 1%chance among 15 boys
In 2025, 16 boys in the US were named Kalev, making it the 5,606th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 7,029th. Its busiest year was 2014, with 21 boys. It first appears in the records in 2000.
It has been given to more boys each year for the last 3 years.
Half of all the boys named Kalev in the US since 1880 were born between 2012 and 2021, the years shaded on the chart below.
Kalev in the US, year by year
| Year | Boys | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 16 | #5,606 |
| 2024 | 15 | #5,899 |
| 2023 | 13 | #6,512 |
| 2022 | 10 | #7,762 |
| 2021 | 16 | #5,557 |
| 2020 | 11 | #7,029 |
| 2019 | 11 | #7,168 |
| 2018 | 17 | #5,316 |
| 2017 | 8 | #8,835 |
| 2016 | 14 | #6,048 |
| 2015 | 13 | #6,320 |
| 2014 | 21 | #4,534 |
| 2013 | 15 | #5,655 |
| 2012 | 14 | #5,995 |
| 2011 | 11 | #7,002 |
| 2010 | 8 | #8,797 |
| 2009 | 6 | #10,989 |
| 2008 | 5 | #12,546 |
| 2007 | 6 | #10,915 |
| 2006 | 0 | – |
| 2005 | 7 | #9,108 |
| 2004 | 8 | #8,137 |
| 2003 | 0 | – |
| 2002 | 0 | – |
| 2001 | 0 | – |
| 2000 | 5 | #10,341 |
Names like Kalev
Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.
Koa Kailo Kai Makai Kyaire Keanu Kenai Kyrie Kainoa Kayden Krishiv Zakai
More Hebrew names
Noah Isabella Elijah James Jack Mia Ava Jude Ezra Benjamin Isaac Jacob Ethan Daniel Samuel Elias
Sources
Figures from 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, “Kalev: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/kalev, updated 20 October 2026.