Caldwell Surname

3,742nd
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 150,156 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
United States
Highest density in:
Northern Ireland

Caldwell Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Caldwell,' parishes in the the Dioceses of Ripon and Peterborough. Probably 'the cold-well' — cold, or cald. Anglo-Saxon ceald; v. Coldwell and Caudle. This surname has ramified in the most extraordinary manner in the United States.

Read More About This Surname

Caldwell Surname Distribution Map

By incidenceBy frequencyBy rank
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States123,2501:2,941295
Australia6,6591:4,054583
Canada5,9191:6,225911
England5,5301:10,0761,491
Scotland3,0051:1,782329
Northern Ireland1,5891:1,161238
New Zealand1,5811:2,864417
Ireland5971:7,8881,105
South Africa5061:107,07112,911
Wales2621:11,8111,311
Swaziland1521:8,541460
France911:729,92091,032
Thailand871:811,935130,701
Germany771:1,045,52570,954
Dominican Republic691:151,2025,897
Singapore641:86,0583,478
Brazil581:3,690,937102,732
Philippines411:2,469,225130,198
Spain411:1,140,29440,056
Jamaica401:71,7493,500
Portugal381:274,16410,086
Switzerland311:264,93321,684
India271:28,409,829361,298
Sweden271:364,69525,646
Argentina241:1,780,97692,783
Iraq211:1,667,69816,789
Ecuador171:935,63814,108
Netherlands171:993,36365,241
Panama171:230,1336,157
Costa Rica161:298,7543,169
Isle of Man151:5,7211,243
United Arab Emirates141:654,44824,061
Japan131:9,834,17645,186
Guam121:13,3432,098
Qatar121:196,50026,891
Hong Kong111:666,8623,581
Ivory Coast111:2,097,38537,425
Liberia111:400,77620,681
Malaysia111:2,681,293102,971
Bermuda101:6,5281,005
Ghana101:2,702,06911,564
Belgium91:1,277,40587,318
Italy91:6,795,188113,457
Norway91:571,36544,190
Saudi Arabia91:3,428,42432,607
United States Virgin Islands91:12,2641,665
Israel81:1,069,70462,476
Jersey81:12,4002,398
Afghanistan71:4,593,31223,122
Austria71:1,216,49180,919
China71:195,331,65210,124
Nigeria61:29,523,793355,097
Mexico51:24,825,24158,251
South Korea51:10,248,0511,694
Venezuela51:6,040,81547,898
Fiji41:223,5982,635
Guernsey41:16,1101,225
Kuwait41:950,17418,811
Syria41:4,825,25612,827
Indonesia31:44,083,065698,220
Kenya31:15,393,30077,493
Puerto Rico31:1,183,3805,289
Taiwan31:7,814,91541,694
Turkey31:25,940,474162,557
Georgia21:1,872,77235,618
Greece21:5,539,895129,142
Guatemala21:8,041,3349,698
Lebanon21:2,818,54225,087
Poland21:19,004,374199,659
Slovakia21:2,668,225118,680
Ukraine21:22,761,348425,733
Zimbabwe21:7,719,120118,432
Bahamas11:391,7512,737
Cambodia11:15,487,14614,824
Cayman Islands11:63,8932,384
Chile11:17,616,47493,597
Colombia11:47,774,07244,230
Cyprus11:884,87613,055
Denmark11:5,644,71593,155
Egypt11:91,935,754132,737
Estonia11:1,321,80440,178
Finland11:5,496,70284,025
Honduras11:8,816,4429,272
Kazakhstan11:17,682,496204,010
Mongolia11:2,825,28917,010
Mozambique11:27,261,5697,432
Oman11:3,687,97114,390
Pakistan11:178,643,885213,220
Papua New Guinea11:8,153,717181,784
Peru11:31,784,12364,452
Russia11:144,123,056881,408
Rwanda11:11,364,9785,947
Serbia11:7,144,94838,459
Tunisia11:610,62630,336
Turks and Caicos Islands11:34,329862
Show All Nations
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland1,5271:2,901551
Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ARank (high to low)Rank (low to high)
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Scotland2,7331:1,370251
England1,9421:12,5521,898
Wales171:92,2604,121
Isle of Man81:6,784664
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States20,1611:2,491263

Caldwell (800) may also be a first name.

Caldwell Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Caldwell,' parishes in the the Dioceses of Ripon and Peterborough. Probably 'the cold-well' — cold, or cald. Anglo-Saxon ceald; v. Coldwell and Caudle. This surname has ramified in the most extraordinary manner in the United States. One or two early settlers must have bred a healthy family of boys, who thrived and married.

Ricardis de Coldewell, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Johannes de Caldewell, 1379: ibid.

Johannes de Coldwell, 1379: ibid.

1581. John Caldwell and Margaret Hilde: Marriage Lic. (London).

1796. Married — John Caldwell and Margaret Mathews: St. George, Hanover Square.

— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Of territorial origin from the lands of the name in Renfrewshire. The old family of the name appears to have ended in the direct line in an heiress in the fifteenth century (Crawford). In 1342 there is an entry of the fee of William de Caldwell (ER., I, p. 510). Robert Cauldwell was a merchant in the service of Sir John of Montgomery, 1405 (Bain, IV, 697). Hugh de Calde Wel, scutiferus, appears as charter witness, 1419 (LCD., p. 240), Watte Cawdwellis was witness in Dunfermline, 1495 (RD., 320), and Martyne Caldwell, a follower of the earl of Cassilis, was respited for murder, 1526 (RSS., I, 3386). James Caulduoll was presbyter and notary public in Glasgow, 1548 (LCD., p. 63), and Patrick Caldwools is recorded in Cockerhaugh, 1687 (Peebles CR.). The surname was common in Edinburgh in the seventeenth century in the forms Cauldwell, Caldwelles, and Cauldwells (Edinb. Marr.). In the Records of Invercauld the form Guildwell and perhaps Camdell occur. John E. Caldwell, son of James Caldwell, soldier parson of the Revolution, was one of the founders of the American Bible Society. Calduall 1688, Caldwellis 1488, Calludwell 1503, Cautduall 1661, Caulduell 1551, Cawldwell 1498. An old local pronunciation of the name was Carwall.

— The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(English) belonging to Caldwell = the Cold Well or Spring [Old English c(e)ald + wiella]

— Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

An English name used as an anglicized form of Ó hUairisce in Tyrone and of Cullivan and Colavin (Mac Conluain) in Co. Cavan. MIF 241

— A Guide to Irish Names (1964) by Edward MacLysaght

(English) One who came from Caldwell (cold stream), in Yorkshire.

— Dictionary of American Family Names (1956) by Elsdon Coles Smith

"The cold well." Several localities in various counties are so designated.

— Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

From colwold, the hazel wood.

— The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

A location name in Derbyshire, Yorkshire, etc.

— British Family Names: Their Origin and Meaning (1903) by Henry Barber
DNA test information
Display Statistics on:

Caldwell Demographics

Average Male Caldwell Height

177.53 cm

Average male height (US):
175.3 cm
Sample size: 1,762 (2014)

Average Female Caldwell Height

162.57 cm

Average female height (US):
161.5 cm
Sample size: 361 (2014)

Sample is predominantly from Anglosphere countries

View the tallest/shortest surnames in the world

Caldwell Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Caldwell Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Caldwell is found most frequently in The United States. It can also be rendered as a variant:. Click here to see other possible spellings of Caldwell.

How Common Is The Last Name Caldwell? popularity and diffusion

Caldwell is the 3,742nd most commonly occurring last name globally, borne by around 1 in 48,533 people. The last name occurs mostly in The Americas, where 79 percent of Caldwell reside; 78 percent reside in North America and 78 percent reside in Anglo-North America. It is also the 289,333rd most commonly held first name throughout the world, borne by 800 people.

This surname is most commonly held in The United States, where it is borne by 123,250 people, or 1 in 2,941. In The United States Caldwell is most numerous in: Texas, where 10 percent reside, Georgia, where 7 percent reside and North Carolina, where 6 percent reside. Excluding The United States this last name is found in 94 countries. It is also common in Australia, where 4 percent reside and Canada, where 4 percent reside.

Caldwell Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The frequency of Caldwell has changed over time. In The United States the number of people carrying the Caldwell surname increased 611 percent between 1880 and 2014; in England it increased 285 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Scotland it increased 110 percent between 1881 and 2014; in Ireland it fell 61 percent between 1901 and 2014 and in Wales it increased 1,541 percent between 1881 and 2014.

Caldwell Last Name Statistics demography

The religious devotion of those bearing the last name is principally Presbyterian (53%) in Ireland.

In The United States those bearing the Caldwell surname are 14.16% more likely to be registered Republicans than The US average, with 60.93% registered with the political party.

The amount Caldwell earn in different countries varies greatly. In Norway they earn 41% more than the national average, earning 487,984 kr per year; in South Africa they earn 81.08% more than the national average, earning R 430,308 per year; in United States they earn 5.66% less than the national average, earning $40,708 USD per year and in Canada they earn 2.99% more than the national average, earning $51,171 CAD per year.

Phonetically Similar Names

Incidence (high to low)Incidence (low to high)Alphabetic A-ZAlphabetic Z-ASimilarity (high to low)Similarity (low to high)Prevalent jurisdiction A-ZPrevalent jurisdiction Z-A
SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Cauldwell94969/
Calldwell945/
Caldwwell944/
Caldwelle942/
Calddwell942/
Chaldwell941/
Ccaldwell941/
Caldweull941/
Caldwaell941/
Caaldwell941/
Dcaldwell940/
Caldweell940/
Gcaldwell940/
Caldwelll940/
Caldwel93103/
Caldwll9316/
D'Caldwell891/
Coldwell884,986/
Caldweld884/
Cauldwel883/
Kaldwell883/
Caltwell882/
Caldweel882/
Caldwill882/
Caldwehl881/
Caldwelt881/
Caldwele880/
Calduell880/
Couldwell82523/
Coldweell821/
Colldwell821/
Cauldwill820/
Caldwille820/
Coldwel802/
Caldwil800/
Coldwill756/
Coltwell751/
Coldweel751/
Coldweld750/
Kolduell631/
Coldwile630/
Kolduel534/
Koldwil534/
Show All Similar Surnames

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Caldwell Reference & Research

Caldwell DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Caldwell FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Caldwell
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis