The Calder surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 4,915 people carried this name — #6,848 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 59,900 people counted. That is up 5% from 4,676 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Calder surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the Calder’.

An early record he cites: Adam de Calder, 1179 — Pipe Rolls of Cumberland, Westmorland and Durham.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 155 · public domain.

In Scotland, 1880s

Calder was 12 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 833. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Berwickshire and neighbouring region.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 587 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Calder was recorded 76 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 350th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 142. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Calder in American newspapers,
1893–1899.

Newspaper page from The Times carrying the name Calder
The Times 1899-01-20
Newspaper page from Richmond Dispatch carrying the name Calder
Richmond Dispatch 1897-11-19
Newspaper page from The Evening World carrying the name Calder
The Evening World 1893-11-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 2,295 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Calder in Australian newspapers,
1830s–2000s.

37,013 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Calder. The most, 5,585, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 15,211
New South Wales 5,321
Queensland 4,643
Tasmania 4,428
South Australia 3,694
Western Australia 3,309
ACT (Canberra) 276
Northern Territory 75

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Calder.

Who carried it

People named Calder,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Calder
    William Calder d. 1824 · merchant
  • James Calder d. 1833
  • Elizabeth Jennings Calder d. 2018
  • Alice Calder d. 2003
  • Margaret Calder d. 1859
  • Donald Calder, 5th Thane of Cawdor d. 1442

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Calder,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States775 records

775 records of the Calder name in the United States
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 190
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 176
  • Other U.S. records 409
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harold L. Calder

    Born 1921 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Tulsa; auto mechanic from Washington County. U.S. Army Air Forces veteran of World War II; died 1998, buried at Parker Cemetery, Arkansas City, Kansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Reginald D. Calder

    Born 1908. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Jay Governors Island, New York; driver from Kings County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1979, buried at Calverton National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Gabrielle Calder

    Arrived at New York in 1901 aboard the La Bretagne from Havre, aged 21; miner. From Santa Guistana, Italy.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 775 records for Calder in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,413 records

1,413 records of the Calder name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 886
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 233
  • Other Australian records 294
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Calder

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Sir George Seymour, sailing from London in 1844. Native of Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1847. Married 1847 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Elizabeth Margaret Calder

    Died 1891 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 72. Will registered in Tasmania in 1891.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record David Calder

    Arrived in Victoria in 1886 aboard the Australasian, aged 23; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,413 records for Calder in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada409 records

409 records of the Calder name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 287
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 37
  • Other Canadian records 85
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Calder

    Came to Ontario in 1880 aboard the Canadian, landing at Quebec, bound for Blyth, Ontario; Scotch.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Marguerite Calder

    Buried in 1992 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 86.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Daniel Calder

    Died 1923 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 409 records for Calder in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom132 records

132 records of the Calder name in the United Kingdom
  • Scottish rolls of honour, First World War 53
  • Stirling Council burial records 46
  • Other British records 33
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record Donald Calder

    Born 1891 at Dava Station; ploughman. Died 1917. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917 (Cameron Highlanders).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain); National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record James Robert Calder

    Born 1886 at Charlestown; farmer. Died 1917. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917 (Manitoba Regiment).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain); National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Jane Morrison Munro Calder

    Died 1918, aged 71; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 132 records for Calder in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

New Zealand33 records

33 records of the Calder name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 25
  • Timaru and Mackenzie District cemetery records 3
  • Other New Zealand records 5
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Leslie Benjamin Calder

    Died 1963, aged 71; buried at Ruru Lawn, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Geoffrey Angus Calder

    Buried in 1979 at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 70.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Andrew William Calder

    Died 1983; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 33 records for Calder in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands13 records

13 records of the Calder name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 10
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Calder

    Died 1860 in Rotterdam, aged 25.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Clarence William Calder

    Married in 1946 in Tilburg.

    Open Archives, Brabants Historisch Informatie Centrum (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Cornelis Calder

    Married in 1769 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Calder in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France2 records

2 records of the Calder name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Sally Elizabeth Calder

    Born 1949 in Great Britain; died 2001 in Arlebosc (Ardèche).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Georges Rene Louis Calder

    Born 1921 in Pars-lès-Chavanges; died 1999 in Troyes (Aube).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Calder.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Calder is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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