Calaway History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Calaway comes from when the family resided in a small settlement in either Devon or Cornwall. Thus, Calaway is a habitation surname derived from the place, named Callway or Calway. 1

Alternatively, the name Calaway is a habitational name originally derived from the place name Caillouet-Orgeville in Eure, France. This place name comes from the Old Northern French word "cail(ou)," meaning "a pebble." 2 3

Early Origins of the Calaway family

The surname Calaway was first found in Gloucestershire where Philip de Chailewai was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1165. A few years later, Thomas de Kaillewey was found in Warwickshire in 1242 and in the same year William Callewey was in Devon. 3

Kellaways, also known as Tytherton Kellaways, is a village and former ecclesiastical parish in Langley Burrell and ceremonial county of Wiltshire, England.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Walter Calewey as holding lands in Buckinghamshire at that time. 1 The source, Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. list William Callewey in Devon and Cassadra Cayllewey, Wiltshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of the reign of King Edward I.) 4

Early History of the Calaway family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calaway research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1185, 1497, 1543, 1547, 1549, 1552, 1557, 1558, 1559, 1564, 1580 and 1581 are included under the topic Early Calaway History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calaway Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Calaway include Callaway, Kelloway, Kellaway, Calloway and others.

Early Notables of the Calaway family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Robert Keilway, Kellway or Kaylway (1497-1581), legal reporter, "was in 1543 the recipient of a grant of the wardship and marriage of Eliz. and Anne Whittocksmede (Pat. Roll, 35 Henry VIII, p. 2), and subsequently of many other minors, a privilege from which he no doubt reaped considerable profit. In 1547 he was autumn reader at the Inner Temple, and in May of that year surveyor of the court of wards and liveries. In September 1547 he, with Lord St. John, was appointed to inquire into the state of the crown revenues, and...
Another 161 words (12 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calaway Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calaway Ranking

In the United States, the name Calaway is the 17,417^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Calaway migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Calaway Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Francis Bennett Calaway, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1892 aboard the ship "Maasdam" from Rotterdam, Netherlands 6

Calaway Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert Calaway, aged 35, who arrived in New York in 1918 aboard the ship "Vauban" from Southampton, England 6
H.F. Calaway, aged 28, who arrived in Perth, Amboy, N.J. in 1919 aboard the ship "Ceralvo" from Santa Lucia, Cuba 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Calaway (post 1700) +

Paul Kenneth Calaway (1910-1993), American chemical engineer, Director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute from 1954 to 1957
Mark Calaway (b. 1965), nicknamed "The Undertaker," American professional WWE wrestler
Calaway Homer Dodson (b. 1928), American botanist, orchidologist, and taxonomist

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result