Show ContentsCaldenter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Caldenter

What does the name Caldenter mean?

Caldenter is a name whose ancestors lived among the Picts, a tribe in ancient Scotland. The Caldenter family lived on the lands or barony of Callander in Perthshire. The name is quite mistakenly thought of as an occupational name derived from the trade of calendering or glossing cloth. Scholars seem to agree that this name was not related to the calendar of the months.

Early Origins of the Caldenter family

The surname Caldenter was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland. "This place derives its name, of Gaelic origin, from an ancient ferry across the river Teath, the principal road to which lay within its limits." 1

Early History of the Caldenter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Caldenter research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1296 and 1360 are included under the topic Early Caldenter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Caldenter Spelling Variations

The appearance of the printing press and the first dictionaries in the last few hundred years did much to standardize spelling. Prior to that time scribes spelled according to sound, a practice that resulted in many spelling variations. Caldenter has been spelled Callander, Callender, Callandar, Callenter, Kalender, Calenter and many more.

Early Notables of the Caldenter family

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

Migration of the Caldenter family

The expense of the crossing to the North American colonies seemed small beside the difficulties of remaining in Scotland. It was a long and hard trip, but at its end lay the reward of freedom. Some Scots remained faithful to England and called themselves United Empire Loyalists, while others fought in the American War of Independence. Much of this lost Scottish heritage has been recovered in the last century through Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important, early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Caldenter: William Callender who settled in Virginia in 1650; Alistair Callender settled in Boston in 1651; R. Callandar settled in New England in 1761; Alexander Callender is one of the 36 original signers of the Declaration of Independence about 1683 in South Carolina..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.


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