CALDWELL
Caldwell is a locational surname of both English and Scottish origin, derived from the Old English elements cald meaning “cold” and well meaning “spring” or “stream”. The name originally identified a person who lived near a cold spring or stream, a descriptive habitational term common in the British Isles.
The earliest documented instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire as Adam de Caldwella in 1195, during the reign of King Richard I. This record, part of the administrative accounts of the period, establishes the hereditary use of the surname. In Scotland the name is first noted in the late twelfth century, and by the fourteenth century William de Coldewell is recorded in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Returns of 1379.
In England, several places named Caldwell are recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, notably a settlement in Yorkshire listed as “Caldeuuella”. Other English localities bearing the name include locations in North Yorkshire, Warwickshire, Bedfordshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire, as well as Cauldwell, Chadwell and Chardwell. Each of these place‑names shares the same etymological root and meaning, signifying a cold stream or spring. Over time a wide array of spelling variants has arisen, such as Cauled, Cawdell, Couldwell and Cholwell, reflecting regional pronunciation and orthographic practices.
The surname also appears in parish records of London dating from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The marriage of Robert Coldwell and Agnes Hanshawe on 1 May 1547 at St. Mary le Bow and the christening of Nycolas Coldwell on 10 October 1555 at St. James’s, Garlickhithe, are examples of such documentation. These registers demonstrate the spread of the name beyond the rural counties into the capital.
Heraldic evidence for the Caldwell family is a blue shield bearing a silver cross moline, a specific design granted to the Coldwell lineage. The coat of arms, along with the documented parish and tax records, confirms the prominence and continuity of the name across centuries.
Today the Caldwell surname is found throughout the English‑speaking world, a testament to the migration of families bearing the name and the enduring legacy of its geographic origins in the British Isles.
Typical given names associated with the Caldwell surname
Male
- Andrew
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Robert
- Stephen
- Thomas
- William
Female
- Alison
- Anne
- Catherine
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Jane
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Mary
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Caldwell in...
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There are approximately 8,706 people named Caldwell in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,087th most common surname in Britain. Around 134 in a million people in Britain are named Caldwell.
Surname type: Location or geographical feature
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Caldwell
- Sir Patrick Alfred Caldwell-Moore - Writer, broadcaster and astronomer (1923 to 2012)
- Gary Caldwell - Scottish football player and manager
- Taylor Caldwell - Novelist (1900 to 1985)
- Tommy Caldwell - American rock climber
- Steven Caldwell - Scottish football player
- Robert Caldwell - Orientalist (1814 to 1891)
- Malcolm Caldwell - Academic (1931 to 1978)
- Ross Caldwell - Scottish football player
- David Caldwell - Scottish football player
- John Caldwell - Musician
- Ryan Caldwell - Irish rugby union player
- Thomas Caldwell - Recipient of the Victoria Cross (1894 to 1969)
- Terry Caldwell - Football player
- Neil Caldwell - Football player
- Frank Caldwell - Former British Army officer (1921 to 2014)
- George Caldwell - Cricketer (1807 to 1863)
- Tony Caldwell - Professional football player
- Daniel Richard Caldwell - Colonial administrator (1816 to 1875)
- Jonathan Caldwell - Golfer
- Benjamin Caldwell - Royal Navy admiral (1739 to 1820)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.