Calam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Calam

What does the name Calam mean?

The ancestors of the Calam family come from the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The family name comes from the Scottish name MacCallum, which means "the son of the gillie of Callum." However, the full form of the name was used until the 17th century. The Callums were an import branch of the Clan McLeod of Raasay.

Early Origins of the Calam family

The surname Calam 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 very early times.

Early History of the Calam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calam research. Another 126 words (9 lines of text) covering the year 1636 is included under the topic Early Calam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calam Spelling Variations

Historical recordings of the name Calam 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 Callum, MacColum, MacCallum, Colum, Callam, Callem, Calam and many more.

Early Notables of the Calam family

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

Migration of the Calam family to Ireland

Some of the Calam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calam 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 Calam or a variant listed above:

Calam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Calam, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1811 1

The Calam 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 ardua tendit
Motto Translation: He reaches towards things difficult of attainment.

Sources +

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)