Contents [hide]

Caldwell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Caldwell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland-Alt
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Caldwell family name is a habitational surname, derived from any of several places in Scotland and England, such as Caldwell in Renfrewshire. The place-names are derived from the Old English words "caeld," which means "cold," and "welle," which means "well."

Early Origins of the Caldwell family

The surname Caldwell was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Early History of the Caldwell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caldwell research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1342, 1500, 1845 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Caldwell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caldwell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Caldwell, Coldwell, Caldwill, Cauldwell, Cauldwill, Cawldwell, Guildwell, Calewell, Caldewell and many more.

Early Notables of the Caldwell family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Sir Henry Caldwell of Quebec city 1845

Caldwell World Ranking

In the United States, the name Caldwell is the 272^nd most popular surname with an estimated 96,993 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Caldwell is ranked the 911^st most popular surname with an estimated 5,919 people with that name. 2 And in Australia, the name Caldwell is the 583^rd popular surname with an estimated 6,659 people with that name. 3 New Zealand ranks Caldwell as 417^th with 1,581 people. 4 The United Kingdom ranks Caldwell as 904^th with 7,579 people. 5

Migration of the Caldwell family to Ireland

Some of the Caldwell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caldwell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Caldwell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Archibald Caldwell, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 6
John Caldwell, a bonded passenger, who settled in America in 1693
Vincent Caldwell, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1699 6

Caldwell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Caldwell, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1703 6
Allen Caldwell, aged 60, who landed in New York in 1710 6
Andrew Caldwell, who landed in America in 1718 6
Charles Caldwell, who arrived in New England in 1718
Charles Caldwell, who landed in New England in 1718 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Caldwell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jos Caldwell, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 6
Patrick Caldwell, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1803 6
Isabella Caldwell, aged 13, who arrived in New York, NY in 1804 6
Jane Caldwell, aged 7, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 6
Elizabeth Caldwell, aged 7, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Caldwell Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. William Caldwell, (b. 1881), aged 23, Cornish conductor travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 10th January 1904 en route to Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA 7

Caldwell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Caldwell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Eleanor Hackett Caldwell, and her sons Jacob and John, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1761
Mr. John Caldwell U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 8
Mr. John Caldwell U.E. who settled in Home District, [Niagara], Lincoln County, Ontario c. 1783 8
Mr. John Caldwell U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 8
Mr. Robert Caldwell U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1783 he was a Captain in Butler's Rangers Regiment 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Caldwell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John, Caldwell Jr., who arrived in Canada in 1829
James Bill Caldwell, who arrived in Canada in 1841
Thomas Caldwell, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843

Caldwell migration to Australia +

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

Caldwell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Caldwell, (b. 1789), aged 30, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in Armagh, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Castle Forbes" on 3rd October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
John Caldwell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 10
Margaret Caldwell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 10
Matthew Caldwell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 10
Ann Caldwell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asia" in 1839 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Caldwell 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:

Caldwell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. J R Caldwell, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Spray" arriving in New Zealand in 1851 11
S. Caldwell, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 1st December 1852 11
Miss Mary Ann Caldwell, (b. 1840), aged 21, Irish farm servant from Antrim travelling from London aboard the ship "Victoria" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1862 11
Miss Mary Caldwell, (b. 1834), aged 27, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 12
Mr. John Caldwell, (b. 1837), aged 24, British joiner travelling from London aboard the ship "Mystery" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 7th January 1862 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Caldwell (post 1700) +

Gail Caldwell (b. 1951), American chief book critic for The Boston Globe awarded the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for Criticism
William A. Caldwell (1906-1986), American journalist and columnist who won the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Commentary
James W. "Jim" Caldwell (1943-2023), American NBA basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers and the New York Knicks
Robert Hunter "Bobby" Caldwell (1951-2023), American singer, songwriter, and musician who released several albums spanning R&B, soul, jazz, and adult contemporary, known for his hit single and his signature song "What You Won't Do for Love" from his double platinum debut album Bobby Caldwell in 1978
Ashley Caldwell (b. 1993), American gold medalist freestyle skier at the 2022 Winter Olympics from Ashburn, Virginia
Ravin V. Caldwell Jr. (b. 1963), American former football linebacker in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins from 1987 to 1992
Darrell Wayne Caldwell (1993-2021), known professionally as Drakeo the Ruler, an American rapper and songwriter; his fourth mixtape, Cold Devil, has been streamed over 10 million times
Donald Reche Caldwell Jr. (1979-2020), American professional football wide receiver who played from 2002 to 2008
Sarah Caldwell (1924-2006), American opera conductor, impresario and stage director
Sara Caldwell (b. 1961), American author and screenwriter/filmmaker
... (Another 31 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Caldwell family +

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Eric Dick Caldwell, British Sergean Lieutenant Commander, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 13

HMS Royal Oak

Eric Dick Caldwell, British Surgeon Lieutenant with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 14

RMS Titanic

Mr. Albert Francis Caldwell, aged 26, Siamese Second Class passenger from Bangkok, Siam who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 13 15
Mrs. Sylvia Mae Caldwell, (née Harbaugh), aged 28, Siamese Second Class passenger from Bangkok, Siam who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 13 15
Master Alden Gates Caldwell, aged 10 mths, Siamese Second Class passenger from Bangkok, Siam who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and survived the sinking escaping on life boat 13 15

USS Arizona

Mr. Charles Caldwell Jr., American Fireman Third Class from Missouri, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 16

The Caldwell Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: In Deo Spes
Motto Translation: In God we trust

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/castle-forbes
State Library of South Australia. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) ASIA 1839 from London with Captain Benjamin Freeman and 245 passengers, arrived Port Adelaide on 16-07-1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Asia-list.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html