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Callan

#190 in 2025UnisexBoys' nameGirls' name

Descendant of Cathalán

Callan has been given to 12,634 babies in the U.S. since 1957. In 2025 it ranked #190 of 13,926 boys’ names in use. Its peak year was 2025, with 1,917 recorded. It's used for both sexes: 88% boys, 12% girls all-time.

Babies named Callan, 2025

1 in 1,730

Callan over time, 1880–2025

BoysGirls
05001K1.5K2K18801900192019401960198020002020

Based on births in the U.S. Babies given the name each year. Hover the chart — or focus it and use the arrow keys — for any year. Gaps mean the name was given fewer than 5 times that year; these counts are unpublished.

Girls or boys — Callan over time

In 2025, Callan went to 3% girls and 97% boys.

19572025

A sex is only published in years it reached five applications, so a stretch at 0% or 100% means the other side stayed under that floor — not that it was never used.

Callan: meaning, origin, and history

Descendant of Cathalán

surname transfer

What Callan means

Callan means “descendant of Cathalán”, associated with Cathaláin.

Dictionary etymologyReferences, data & attribution

Borrowed from Irish Ó Cathaláin (“descendant of Cathalán”).

Excerpt from Wiktionary: Callan (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0

Wiktionary material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Origin, language, and formation

Callan is used in English. Its origins include surname transfer.

Callan comes through Irish Ó Cathaláin.

Callan is recorded as a surname transferred into given-name use.

American usage and historical context

In the United States, 11,164 boys were recorded with the name Callan between 1957 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 1,917 in 2025; its best national rank was #190 in 2025.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #434 in 2020 to #190 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #687 in 2015 to #190 in 2025.

In the United States, 1,470 girls were recorded with the name Callan between 1982 and 2025. Its highest annual count was 66 in 2025; its best national rank was #2,247 in 1988.

Over 5 years its rank rose, from #4,566 in 2020 to #2,616 in 2025. Over 10 years its rank rose, from #4,749 in 2015 to #2,616 in 2025.

How common is Callan?

Everything below is computed from the 2025 data — the most recent year available.

Among all babies, 2025
1 in 1,730
1,917 of 3,315,165 births
Among boys only
1 in 891
0.11% of boys
Rank, 2025
#190
of 13,926 boys’ names in use
Coin-flip room size
1,200 kids
Even odds of a second one

Where Callan sits on the popularity scale

Rarest published (5 a year)#1 — Liam (20,818)

Chance at least one other child shares the name

If the other children were drawn at random from the 2025 national name distribution. Real classrooms cluster by region and community, so treat these as a floor, not a ceiling.

Class of 201%
Class of 302%
Grade of 1006%
School of 50025%

Put another way: gather 1,200 children born in 2025 and it's an even bet that one of them is another Callan. In a class of 30 the chance is 2%.

When Callans were born

Half of everyone ever recorded as Callan was born before 2021 — so the typical Callan is around 4 today.

Median birth year
2021
About 4 years old
Biggest decade
2020s
61.3% of all use
Born in the last 25 years
96.2%
A modern name
Recorded since 1950
11,164
People you could plausibly meet
Choose a decade

2020s — 61.3% of all recorded uses (6,839).

Is Callan rising or falling?

Rank movement and count movement can disagree — the number of distinct names in use keeps growing, so a name holding a steady count still slides down the list. Both are shown.

Rank vs 1 year ago
+52
Places climbed
Rank vs 5 years ago
+244
Places climbed
Rank vs 10 years ago
+497
Places climbed
Births vs 10 years ago
5.25×
More babies than then
Share of its own peak
100.0%
Peak was 2025 (1,917)
Years since peak
Peaking now
At its all-time high
Year-to-year steadiness
Shifting
24.8% average annual change
Best rank ever
#190
2025

Spellings of Callan

Callan is not the most common spelling — Alan is, with 27.9% against Callan's 0.86%.

Grouped by closeness of spelling (up to two letter changes), same sex, with a floor on all-time use. It catches Sophia/Sofia and Aiden/Ayden, and misses spellings that sound alike but look different, like Sean and Shawn.

Where Callan is used — boys

Across 2016–2025, Callan was most concentrated in New Hampshire — about 1 in 490 boys, against 1 in 1,848 across all states with data. It was least common in District of Columbia (1 in 7,143).

14204 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1New Hampshire1 in 490
  2. 2Massachusetts1 in 800
  3. 3Maine1 in 840
  4. 4Minnesota1 in 877
  5. 5Connecticut1 in 909
  6. 6Wisconsin1 in 962
  7. 7North Dakota1 in 980
  8. 8Rhode Island1 in 1,031

Shading is the share of that state's recorded boys given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings.

Geographically, Callan is somewhat regional — more concentrated than 49% of the names used widely enough to compare. See the most regional names

Where Callan is used — girls

Across 1910–2025, Callan was most concentrated in California — about 1 in — girls, against 1 in 436,499 across all states with data. It was least common in Texas (1 in —).

00 per 100,000

Most concentrated

  1. 1California1 in —
  2. 2Georgia1 in —
  3. 3Michigan1 in —
  4. 4New Jersey1 in —
  5. 5New York1 in —
  6. 6Pennsylvania1 in —
  7. 7Texas1 in —

Shading is the share of that state's recorded girls given this name, not the raw count — otherwise the map would just show which states are biggest. Unshaded states have no published records for this period. U.S. birth records suppress state-year counts below 5; state counts therefore don't add up to the national total. Every state links to its full rankings. Callan has too little recent state data to map, so this covers all years from 1910.

Callan around the world

Where Callan ranks in official birth records elsewhere in the world. Rankings only — the number of births isn’t comparable between places, so it isn’t shown.

  • England & Wales
    1996–2025
    #650
    in 2025
  • Scotland
    1991–2025
    #36
    in 2025
  • Northern Ireland
    1997–2025
    #212
    in 2025
  • Ireland
    1996–2025
    #262
    in 2025
  • France
    1999–2025
    #5,596
    in 2025
  • Canada
    1992–2024
    #441
    in 2024
  • South Australia
    1971–2013
    #499
    in 2013

Popularity data from Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland, Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency, Central Statistics Office, Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques, Statistics Canada and Consumer and Business Services (South Australia). ONS, NRS, NISRA data under Open Government Licence v3.0. CSO, CBS SA data under CC BY 4.0. INSEE data under Licence Ouverte / Etalab 2.0. StatCan data under Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Notable people named Callan

People whose public names include Callan, backed by Wikidata given-name records and ordered by linked Wikimedia pages. The name may be a middle name.

People data from Wikidata (CC0). Fame is measured, not judged — the order reflects how widely each person is documented, not the U.S. birth records popularity this page is otherwise about.

Callan in other languages

Cross-language forms and variants of Callan. Linked forms have their own page here.

CalanKalan

Variant forms from Wikidata (CC0). Most are used mainly outside the United States; U.S. birth records statistics cover US usage only.

Callan by the numbers

The raw record for each sex the name is used for.

As a boy's name

Rank in 2025
#190
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 244
Best rank ever
#190
2025
Peak year
2025
1,917 that year
First recorded
1957
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
11,164
Count in 2025
1,917

As a girl's name

Rank in 2025
#2,616
Trend vs 5 yrs ago
Up 1,950
Best rank ever
#2,247
1988
Peak year
2025
66 that year
First recorded
1982
Last recorded
2025
All-time count
1,470
Count in 2025
66

Names similar to Callan

Matched on shared beginnings and endings, similar length, and comparable popularity.

CalanCallenCallumKellanCalderDillanRaylanCaleCalumKylanJaylanHarlanCallahanCalenKeelanDyllanMilanCalLachlanDilanDaylanCalvertDeklanCaelan

Names with a curve like Callan

Not spelling — timing. These names rose, peaked and faded in the same years as Callan, so they read as being from the same moment even when they look nothing alike.

CrewColsonTatumBriggsZyaireJazielKairoDarielCairoBodieBaylorShepherd

Sibling names for Callan

Names from the same era and popularity tier — the two things that make a sibling set feel deliberate — skipping lookalike spellings and shared initials.

Explore around Callan

Top names of 2025, Callan's peak yearThe 2020s in fullOther names that peaked in 2025Boys' names starting with C