METCALF
Metcalf is an English surname of combined English and Old Norse origin, recorded primarily in the British Isles and especially in northern England. The name derives from the personal name Methkalfr, a compound of Old Norse elements meaning “strong as a bear.” As a patronymic, the surname originally identified the descendants of an ancestor so named.
This surname appears in a variety of medieval spellings, including Medcalf, Metcalf and Metcalfe. The earliest known example is ‘Adam Medecalf’, which is preserved in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire for the year 1301, during the reign of King Edward I. It is recorded that the name was used among the freemen of the city of York in 1463, with a John Medcalfe appearing in the official register.
While the patronymic explanation is widely accepted, other scholars have suggested a topographical or occupational derivation. In such a view the name may come from the Old English pre‑7th century word mete (“food” or “meat”) combined with cealf (“calf”), giving a meaning such as “a calf to be fattened for eating at the end of summer.” If the first element is read as med, it could instead describe a meadow or pasture where calves were raised for meat, a common agricultural reference in early Yorkshire.
According to surviving records, the use of the surname was initially concentrated in the county of Yorkshire. Examples from the early modern period include William Metcalf, who married Marageret Stansfield at Kippax, Yorkshire, on 12 October 1596, and Michill Metcalfe of Norwich, age 45, who, together with his wife Sarah and their eight children, emigrated from England to Boston, New England, in 1635.
In own contemporary usage, the variants of the surname remain in use across the United Kingdom, and associations with northern England and early medieval patronymic tradition continue to be documented in genealogical and historical sources. The surname Metcalf thus exemplifies a long line of English family names that trace their origins back to Norse personal nomenclature and early medieval local practices.
Typical given names associated with the Metcalf surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- James
- John
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Anne
- Caroline
- Christine
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Julie
- Karen
- Lisa
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- 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 Metcalf in...
Braille
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Morse
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Semaphore
Did you know?
According to a survey carried out by Democracy Club, politicians and candidates with the surname Metcalf are most likely to say that their favourite biscuit is a Chocolate Chip Digestive.
There are approximately 6,172 people named Metcalf in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,536th most common surname in Britain. Around 95 in a million people in Britain are named Metcalf.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Metcalf
- DK Metcalf - American football wide receiver
- Laurie Metcalf - American actress
- Jack Metcalf - Football player
- John Metcalf - Civil engineer and road builder (1717 to 1810)
- Mike Metcalf - Football player and manager (1939 to 2018)
- Michael Metcalf - Numismatist (1933 to 2018)
- John Metcalf - Canadian writer
- Walter Metcalf - Football player (1910 to 1981)
- Jim Metcalf - Football player and Coach (1898 to 1975)
- Arthur Metcalf - Football player (1889 to 1936)
- Mark Metcalf - Football player
- Robert Metcalf - Writer and anglican priest (1935 to 2014)
- Ryan Metcalf - Scottish football player
- John Metcalf - Hurdler
- George E. Metcalf - Christian missionary in China (1879 to 1956)
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.