Contents [hide]

Calder History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Sources

Calder History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Calder

What does the name Calder mean?

The Calder surname was a habitational name, taken on from any of the various places called Calder, Caldor, or Cawdor; such as Calder in Thurso, which is recorded from the early 13th century, and Calder in Cumbria. Some of these place names are thought to come from the Old Norse "kalfr," meaning "calf," and "dalr," meaning "valley;" while others likely derive from the Welsh words "caled" meaning "hard" or "violent" and "dwfr," meaning "water," or "stream."

Early Origins of the Calder family

The surname Calder was first found in Inverness-shire, thought to have been a Pict stronghold, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. Hugh de Cadella (Klaedouer) is said to have aided Scottish King Malcolm Ceanmore, for which he was granted the Nairnshire thaneship of Cawdor, and made a Baron in 1060. Records show that a Hugh de Kaledouer, perhaps a descendant, was a witness to a charter of land near Montrose in, Angus, around 1178. 1

Cadder, or Calder is a parish, in the Lower ward of the county of Lanark. "This place derives its name from its situation in the midst of a district abounding with wood and water, of which its appellation in the old British language, Calder, is significant. It appears to have owed its origin, as a parish, to the foundation of a church by St. Patrick, who was born in the immediate vicinity, and who, towards the close of the 5th century, founded numerous other churches in the neighbourhood, which were subsequently endowed by Convallus II." 2

Early History of the Calder family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calder research. Another 327 words (23 lines of text) covering the years 1054, 1419, 1440, 1454, 1494, 1503, 1510, 1546, 1575, 1650, 1657, 1711, 1723, 1740, 1745, 1792, 1798 and 1818 are included under the topic Early Calder History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calder Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Calder, Cadder, Caddell, Cawdor, Cauder, Caldell, Caldille and many more.

Early Notables of the Calder family

William Calder (d. 1503), 7th Thane of Cawdor
Muriel Calder (1494-1575) 9th (and last) Thane of Cawdor, who married Sir John Campbell (d. 1546)
Robert Calder (1650?-1723), Scottish clergyman of the Scottish Episcopalian church, a native of Elgin, born about 1650
Admiral Sir Robert Calder (1745-1818), British naval officer who served in the Seven Years' War, the American Revolutionary War, the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars, and was created...
Major General, Sir Henry Calder (1740-1792), 4th Baronet Calder, of Muirton county Moray, and Lieutenant-Governor of Gibraltar

Calder Ranking

the United States, the name Calder is the 5,883^rd most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3 However, in New Zealand, the name Calder is ranked the 396^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,652 people with that name. 4

Calder migration to the United States +

Calder Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Calder, aged 24, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova"

Calder Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Calder, who arrived in New England in 1720 5
Will Calder, who settled in Georgia in 1735
Janet Calder, who landed in New York in 1739 5
Robert Calder, who arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1764
James Calder, aged 18, who landed in New York in 1774 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Calder Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Calder, aged 56, who arrived in Ohio in 1812 5
James Calder, aged 36, who arrived in New York in 1812 5
Thomas Calder, aged 37, who landed in New York in 1812 5
William Calder, aged 30, who arrived in South Carolina in 1812 5
James Calder, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1813 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Calder migration to Australia +

Calder Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Stewart Calder, (b. 1817), aged 18, British labourer who was tried in Edinburgh, Scotland in April 1834 for 7 years for stealing a hankerchief, transported aboard the "George III" on 12th December 1834, going to Van Diemen's Land (Tasmania) she sunk on the 12th Marh 1835, he survived 6
Agnes Calder, Scottish convict from Glasgow, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on December 14, 1835, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Alexander Calder, aged 32, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Osceola" 8
Alexander Calder, aged 31, a sawyer, who arrived in South Australia in 1851 aboard the ship "Catherine" 9
Alexander Calder, aged 31, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Catherine" in 1851 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Calder 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:

Calder Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Calder, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Robert Calder, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Calder, aged 26, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 10
Euphemia Calder, aged 19, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jane Gifford" in 1842 10
David Calder, aged 46, a mason, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Mariner" in 1849
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Calder (post 1700) +

Alexander Calder (1898-1976), American sculptor and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
Alexander Stirling Calder (1870-1945), American sculptor, son of sculptor Alexander Milne Calder
William Musgrave Calder (1869-1945), American politician from New York State, a U.S. Congressman and Senator
Alexander Milne Calder (1846-1923), American (Scottish born) sculptor
James Tait Calder (1794-1864), Scottish author of the ‘History of Caithness,’ born at the village of Castletown, Caithness
Finlay "Fin" Calder (b. 1957), Scottish rugby player
Angus Lindsay Ritchie Calder (1942-2008), Scottish academic, writer, historian, and educator
Jean Elizabeth Calder AC (1932-1933), Australian rehabilitation specialist and humanitarian worker who spent more than 25 years working with the Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS)
Miss Doreen Mary Malize Calder B.E.M., British recipient of the British Empire Medal on 8th June 2018, for services to Equestrianism and to the community in Berwickshire 11
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Calder 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: Vigilans non cadit
Motto Translation: The vigilant man falls not.

Sources +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/george-the-third
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1835 with 132 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1835
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) OSCEOLA / ASCEOLA 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Osceola-Asceola.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) CATHERINE 1851. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1851Catherine.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
"Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62310, 31 October 2019 | London Gazette, The Gazette, June 2018, https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/62310/supplement/B1