Caleb vs Isaac
Caleb and Isaaccompared on official birth-registration statistics and Namewise's recorded data. This page states what each name's record shows — it never picks a winner or scores one name against the other.
Head to head
Ranks are only compared within one published list and one year. Two ranks from different years, from a boys' and a girls' list, or from different registrars are not comparable, so they are not placed side by side.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
In 2024, Caleb was ranked #97 and Isaac #19 among boys in New South Wales, Australia.
Northern Ireland · Boys
In 2024, Caleb was ranked #26 and Isaac #26 among boys in Northern Ireland.
England and Wales · Boys
In 2024, Caleb was ranked #75 and Isaac #37 among boys in England and Wales.
Scotland · Boys
In 2024, Caleb was ranked #42 and Isaac #49 among boys in Scotland.
New Zealand · Boys
In 2023, Caleb was ranked #45 and Isaac #46 among boys in New Zealand.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
In 2025, Caleb was ranked #108 and Isaac #104 among boys in Republic of Ireland.
Caleb and Isaac over time
Caleb and Isaac appear together in 5 published lists, across 156 years of shared records. Isaac held the stronger position in more years in 3 of them, Caleb in 2.
In none of those lists did their order change and stay changed.
Isaac reached its own highest recorded position earlier in 3 of those lists, Caleb in 2. Each position is a place inside its own list, so this compares when they peaked and never how high.
Counted list by list. Two names in the same published list are measured on the same scale in the same year, so those comparisons are real — but positions from different lists are not, so nothing here is combined into an overall standing.
How this pair is related
The relationship kinds these two qualify for, each under its own stated rule. Every one is drawn from a list they both appear in.
- Repeatedly exchanged positions
Caleb and Isaac changed places 9 times in New Zealand · Boys between 1982 and 2023, ending at #45 and #46.
- Closest over the longest run
Across 25 shared years in New South Wales, Australia · Boys, Caleb and Isaac averaged 40.2 places apart, ending at #97 and #19.
- Longest-running competitions
Caleb and Isaac were both ranked in New Zealand · Boys for 41 years, from 1982 to 2023, ending at #45 and #46.
List by list
New Zealand · Boys41 shared years, 1982–2023
Caleb held the stronger position in 25 of those years, Isaac in 16.
Highest recorded here: Caleb #12 in 1999, Isaac #17 in 2010.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2023: Caleb #45, Isaac #46.
Republic of Ireland · Boys33 shared years, 1990–2025
Caleb held the stronger position in 3 of those years, Isaac in 30.
Highest recorded here: Caleb #91 in 2024, Isaac #77 in 2014.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2025: Caleb #108, Isaac #104.
England and Wales · Boys29 shared years, 1996–2024
Caleb held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isaac in 29.
Highest recorded here: Caleb #72 in 2023, Isaac #20 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Caleb #75, Isaac #37.
Northern Ireland · Boys28 shared years, 1997–2024
Caleb held the stronger position in 21 of those years, Isaac in 5.
Highest recorded here: Caleb #20 in 2023, Isaac #20 in 2020.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Caleb #26, Isaac #26.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys25 shared years, 1996–2024
Caleb held the stronger position in 0 of those years, Isaac in 25.
Highest recorded here: Caleb #51 in 2001, Isaac #8 in 2015.
The order between them never changed and held in this list.
Most recent shared year, 2024: Caleb #97, Isaac #19.
Two names moving past each other in a ranking is a fact about the ranking. Namewise does not claim one name displaced the other, that families chose between them, or that either influenced the other — none of that is in this data.
Side by side
| Field | Caleb | Isaac |
|---|---|---|
| Record type | Official statistical record (evidence-only) | Editorially researched profile |
| Gender usage | male | male |
| Meaning | Not yet recorded | Traditionally understood as 'he will laugh' or 'he laughs', tied to the biblical narrative in which Abraham and Sarah laugh at the prophecy of Isaac's birth in their old age. |
| Origin | Not yet recorded | Biblical Hebrew, transmitted into English via Greek Isaak and Late Latin Isaac |
| Pronunciation | Not yet recorded | /ˈaɪzək/ |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Common variants / nicknames | Not yet recorded | Not yet recorded |
| Recorded regional usage | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ | AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NO, NZ |
| Most recent popularity observation | Republic of Ireland · Boys #108 (2025) | New South Wales, Australia · Boys #26 (2025) |
| Pronunciation clarity (demonstration score) | Not yet recorded | 90/100 |
| Spelling simplicity (demonstration score) | 94/100 | 94/100 |
| International familiarity (demonstration score) | 100/100 | 100/100 |
| Data Confidence | medium | medium |
What the data shows
- Isaac has a recorded origin (Biblical Hebrew, transmitted into English via Greek Isaak and Late Latin Isaac); Caleb does not have one recorded yet.
- Caleb and Isaac both have 2 syllables.
- A meaning is recorded for Isaac; Caleb doesn't have one written yet.
- Both names have recorded usage in AU-NSW, GB-ENW, GB-NIR, GB-SCT, IE, NZ.
How each name got here
Caleb
Popularity journey
First recorded1982
First recorded at #98 among boys in New Zealand in 1982 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
New Zealand · Boys
Highest recorded1982–2023
Highest recorded position: #12 among boys in New Zealand, in 1999 (recorded 1982–2023).
New Zealand · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #108 among boys in Republic of Ireland, in 2025.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Isaac
Popularity journey
First recorded1964
First recorded at #232 among boys in Republic of Ireland in 1964 — the earliest year that source publishes this name, not necessarily the earliest it was used.
Republic of Ireland · Boys
Highest recorded1990–2025
Highest recorded position: #8 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2015 (recorded 1990–2025).
New South Wales, Australia · Boys
Most recent2025
Most recently recorded at #26 among boys in New South Wales, Australia, in 2025.
New South Wales, Australia · Boys