Explore the Family Name Cale

The meaning of Cale

1. English: variant of Kale, a habitational name from the villages of East and West Keal in Lincolnshire, which are named from Old Norse kjǫlr ‘ridge’. 2. English: variant of Call. 3. Americanized form of German Kehl or Keil, and also of Kahl. Compare Cail and Kale. 4. Italian (southern; Calè): variant of Calia. 5. French (Calé): from an adjectival derivative of Old French cale ‘close-fitting cap’, hence a nickname for someone who wore such a cap. This surname is very rare in France; in North America it may thus (also) be an altered form of some other similar (like-sounding) French surname. 6. Croatian (Čale, rarely Ćale): nickname from ćale ‘daddy’, also ‘father-in-law’. 7. Possibly also an Americanized form of Dutch Kale.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Cale in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Cale has witnessed a slight shift in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, it ranked 9387 and by 2010, this ranking dropped slightly to 10044, reflecting a change of -7.0%. Despite the drop in rank, the number of people with the Cale surname increased marginally from 3183 to 3207, a growth of about 0.75%. The proportion of the Cale surname per 100k population also saw a minor decline from 1.18 to 1.09, indicating a decrease of 7.63%.

20002010Change
Rank#9,387#10,044-7%
Count3,1833,2070.75%
Proportion per 100k1.181.09-7.63%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Cale

When it comes to ethnic identity, the data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows that there was a noticeable shift among individuals with the surname Cale between 2000 and 2010. The largest group identified as White, although the percentage declined slightly from 88.82% to 86.47% over the decade. Meanwhile, those identifying as Hispanic experienced a significant increase, from 2.23% to 3.84%. The census also revealed increases in the Asian/Pacific Islander category (from 0.88% to 1.03%) and the Black category (from 6.47% to 6.55%). There was also a more than twofold increase in individuals identifying with two or more ethnic identities, from 0.66% to 1.37%. However, the percentage of American Indian and Alaskan Native identifiers decreased from 0.94% to 0.75%.

20002010Change
White88.82%86.47%-2.65%
Black6.47%6.55%1.24%
Hispanic2.23%3.84%72.2%
Two or More Races0.66%1.37%107.58%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.88%1.03%17.05%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.94%0.75%-20.21%

Cale ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Cale is British & Irish, which comprises 46.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (29.4%) and Eastern European (3.8%). Additional ancestries include Spanish & Portuguese, Scandinavian, Greek & Balkan, Nigerian, and Italian.

Ready to learn more about your ancestry? Get the most comprehensive ancestry breakdown on the market by taking our DNA test. Shop 23andMe

ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish46.2%
French & German29.4%
Eastern European3.8%
Other20.6%
Cale

Possible origins of the surname Cale

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Cale have recent ancestry locations in United Kingdom and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Lancashire, United Kingdom79.30%
West Yorkshire, United Kingdom79.30%
West Midlands, United Kingdom79.30%
Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom79.30%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom79.30%

What Cale haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Cale is O-F2415, which is predominantly found among people with East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry. Haplogroup O-F2415 is descended from haplogroup O-M1359. Other common haplogroups include E-M183 and O-F2859, which are predominantly found among people with European and East Asian & Indigenous American ancestry.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Cale surname are: N, H, T2. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

calePaternal Haplogroup Origins O-M1359
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to the Cham

One of the many populations harboring members of haplogroup O1b1a1a1a1 is the Cham ethnic group, a group of people who speak Austronesian languages in Mainland Southeast Asia. Austronesian languages make up a language family that is extremely large and widespread, comprising over 350 million people on islands such as Madagascar, Easter Island, and many others. However, Austronesian languages are less common on mainland Asia, with a notable exception being the Chamic language. Research suggests that ancestors of the Cham people migrated from Southeast Asian islands to the mainland around the year 500 BCE, and that early Cham populations quickly began mixing with indigenous southern Vietnamese populations. As a result, the Chamic language now has words that were borrowed from languages spoken by indigenous Vietnamese people. It is likely that an ancestral Kinh population was one of the populations that mixed with the Cham people shortly after their migration to mainland Asia.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Cale have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Cale

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Cale" Surname 40.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Cale

Cheek Dimples

Small indentations that appear on the cheeks when a person smiles.

"Cale" Surname 60.0%

23andMe Users 37.6%

Habits

Cale

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Cale" Surname 22.6%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Cale

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Cale" Surname 21.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Cale?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Cale are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%