boy's name
Callum
KAL-um
- Origin Scottish
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 6
- Popularity Top 1000 (E&W)
- Births on record 107,122
the United States
#118
2025 births
Callum is a boy's name of Scottish origin meaning "dove," from the Latin columba. It reached Gaelic through Saint Columba, the sixth-century Irish monk who founded the monastery on Iona and brought Christianity to much of Scotland.
- Callum is a name of Scottish origin.
- Peaked in England and Wales in 1998, when 5,600 babies were given the name.
- It has been falling over the past decade in England and Wales.
- Today about 1 in 2,833 babies in England and Wales is given this name.
- First appears in birth records in 1996.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Callum over time
Births per decade in England and Wales, 1990s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1990s | 20,214 |
| 2000s | 35,033 |
| 2010s | 9,308 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 1,427 |
What Callum means
Callum means dove, from the Latin columba. The bird's Christian symbolism — the Holy Spirit, and the dove of Noah's ark — is why a Latin word for a bird became a monastic name and then a Scottish given name.
Where Callum comes from
Callum comes from the Scottish Gaelic Calum, from the Latin Columba, meaning dove. Saint Columba left Ireland in 563 and founded the monastery on Iona, from which Irish monks converted much of Scotland and northern England — Aidan of Lindisfarne came from that mission. His influence made Calum one of the most common names in Gaelic Scotland, and it also produced Malcolm, from Maol Chaluim, meaning devotee or servant of Columba, borne by four kings of Scotland. Callum has spread well beyond Scotland since the late twentieth century.
Callum in use
Malcolm means "servant of Columba" — so Callum and Malcolm both descend from the same sixth-century monk.
How popular is Callum?
In 2025, Callum was given to 186 babies in England and Wales, ranking #251 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Callum is used
Figures for England and Wales withhold any name given to fewer than three babies in a year, so a gap means the name fell below that floor rather than went unused. Data & sources.
Names that peaked alongside Callum
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Callum also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Callum over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
2 nicknames for Callum
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Callum in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Callum
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Callum — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Callum
What does the name Callum mean?
Callum means "dove," from the Latin columba.
Is Callum a Scottish name?
Yes, from the Gaelic Calum, spread by Saint Columba of Iona.
Is Callum related to Malcolm?
Yes. Malcolm means servant of Columba, from the same saint.
How popular is the name Callum?
In 2025, Callum was given to 186 babies in England and Wales, ranking #251 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Callum a girl's or a boy's name?
Callum is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Callum?
Callum has 2 syllables.
When was Callum most popular?
Callum peaked in 1998, when 5,600 babies were given the name. It has been falling over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Callum?
Callum is usually shortened to Cal and Cally.
Is Callum a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Callum currently ranks #49 in England and Wales. It has been falling over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.