Contents [hide]

Call History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Call History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland
Ireland

The ancestors of the Call family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the Gaelic surname of Scottish origin, which means son of the battle chief.

Saint Gall (550?-645?), originally named Cellach or Caillech, was abbot and the apostle of the Suevi and the Alemanni, and appears to have been the son of Cethernach, an Irishman of noble lineage, of the sept of Hy-Cennsealach, his mother being, it is asserted, a queen of Hungary. 1

The MacGall variant was later derived from the Gaelic Mac goill, or Mac an ghoill, 'stranger's son,' 'Lowlander.' 2

The MacCall variant was from the Gaelic MacCathail, 'son of Cathal,' "the M'Calls of Guffokland were an old Nithsdale family. Robert M'Kawele, was Lord of Karsnelohe, c. 1370-1380." 2

Early Origins of the Call family

The surname Call was first found in Argyllshire (Gaelic erra Ghaidheal), the region of western Scotland corresponding roughly with the ancient Kingdom of Dál Riata, in the Strathclyde region of Scotland, now part of the Council Area of Argyll and Bute, where they held a family seat from early times and their first records appeared on the census rolls taken by the early Kings of Britain to determine the rate of taxation of their subjects.

The Maccalls of Dumfriesshire were settled there as early as 1500, "and are said to be descended from the Macaulays. John M'Call is recorded in Cumbray, 1583 (Hunter, p. 31). Matthew McCall in Maybole, charged with reset of rebels in 1607, appears a few days later as McEall (RPC., XIV p. 507). Quintigern Makcall, bailie of Edinburgh, 1610." 2

Early History of the Call family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Call research. Another 215 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1602, 1629, 1684, 1686, 1688 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Call History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Call Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Call include many spelling variations. They are the result of repeated translations of the name from Gaelic to English and inconsistencies in spelling rules. They include MacAll, MacColl, MacCole, MacCall, MacAul, Mccall and others.

Early Notables of the Call family

More information is included under the topic Early Call Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Call Ranking

In the United States, the name Call is the 1,974^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Call family to Ireland

Some of the Call family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 80 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Call migration to the United States +

Dalriadan families proliferated in North America. Their descendants still populate many communities in the eastern parts of both the United States and Canada. Some settled in Canada as United Empire Loyalists, in the wake of the American War of Independence. Families on both sides of the border have recovered much of their heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and highland games. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Call or a variant listed above:

Call Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Bennet Call, who settled in New England in 1637
Mary Call, who arrived in New England in 1637 4
Mr. Augsten Call, British settler departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading for Salem 5
Mrs. Alles Call, British settler departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading for Salem 5
Philip Call, who arrived in Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1662 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Call Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

P Call, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1788 4

Call Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Call, who arrived in New York in 1834 4
F W Call, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
H Call, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Mr. Call, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
C Call, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Call migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Call Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Francois Call, who arrived in Montreal in 1662

Call Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Call, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749-1752
John Call, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia between the years 1749-1752

Call Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Call, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
Rose Call, aged 21, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
Catherine Call, aged 6 months, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1833
Bridget Call, who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick from Ireland in 1842

Call migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Call Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Ann Call who was convicted in Exeter, Devon, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 16th November 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Call migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Call Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Patrick Call, aged 23, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arethusa" in 1879

Contemporary Notables of the name Call (post 1700) +

Harrison Orlando Call (1842-1926), veteran of the American Civil War, a teacher, farmer, Sheriff, Postmaster, Councilman, member of the School Board, and Deacon of the Baptist Church in Michigan
Brandon Spencer Lee Call (b. 1976), American two-time Young Artist Award winning child television and film actor, known for his work in Step by Step (1991), Santa Barbara (1984) and Blind Fury (1989)
R. D. Call (b. 1950), American film and television actor, known for his work in Waterworld (1995), Into the Wild (2007) and Murder by Numbers (2002)
Richard Keith Call (1792-1862), American plantation owner and politician, the 3rd and 5th Territorial Governor of Florida (1836-1839) and (1841-1844)
Anson Call (1810-1890), Mormon pioneer, an early colonizer of many communities in Utah Territory
Annie Payson Call (1853-1940), American author who wrote several books and published articles in Ladies' Home Journal
Corporal Donald M. Call (1896-1984), United States Army soldier awarded the Medal of Honor
Ann Lowdon Call (1945-2007), American horsewoman, 2005 AQHA Select World Champion
C. D. Call, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 66th District, 1944-45 7
Byron Niman Call (b. 1863), American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Newcastle, 1904-11 7
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Passengers of the Mary Anne of Yarmouth (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/MaryAnne.html
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 31st March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html