McCallam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

In the mountains of Scotland's west coast and on the Hebrides islands, the ancestors of the McCallam family were born. Their name comes from the Gaelic personal name "MacChaluim" which means "son of Calum," oe "son of St. Colomba." The names MacCallum and Malcolm are used interchangeably as Calum is the often Anglicized as Malcolm. 1

Early Origins of the McCallam family

The surname McCallam 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 quickly attained the status of Clan. Their ancient Clan seat was at Poltalloch near Loch Craignish.

The related Clan Calum is said to have been from Ariskeodnish. One of the earliest records of the name was Reginald MacCallum of Corbarron who was made the hereditary constable of Craignish Castle in 1414. Sir Duncan Campbell granted him lands in Craignish and on Loch Avich. This arrangement demonstrates the strong alliance between the MacCallums and the Campbells of Argyll; an arrangement which made them deadly foes of the MacDonalds.

In 1647, Sir Alexander MacDonald killed Zacharie MacCallum, a supporter of the Campbell Chief, in battle at Ederline. In the 17th century, another Zachary Maccallum was bequeathed the Cobarron lands by the last of that branch.

Early History of the McCallam family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our McCallam research. Another 270 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1647, 1665, 1779, 1793, 1800, 1850 and 1890 are included under the topic Early McCallam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCallam Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Malcolmson, Malcollm, Malcom, Malcomb, Malcome, Malcomson, Malcum, MacCallam, MacCallum and many more.

Early Notables of the McCallam family

Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early McCallam Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the McCallam family to Ireland

Some of the McCallam family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 127 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

McCallam migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCallam Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles McCallam, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1812 2
Peter McCallam, aged 38, who arrived in New York in 1812 2

McCallam migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

McCallam Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Martha McCallam, aged 22, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Prudence" in 1838

The McCallam 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 petit
Motto Translation: He has attempted difficult things.

Citations +

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)
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)