The Calhoun surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 43,180 people carried this name — #803 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 6,830 people counted. That is up 4% from 41,452 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Calhoun surname

A surname from Irish or Scottish.

Common anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Colquhoun.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Calhoun» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Calhoun was counted together with Calhoon: 70 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 393 people lived in those households, 5.6 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Calhoon, Calhoone, Calhoun, Colhoon, Colquhoon, Coulhoun, Culhoun. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 18
South Carolina 16
North Carolina 14
Connecticut 8
Maryland 5
Massachusetts 4
New York 4
Virginia 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 232 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Calhoun in American newspapers,
1850–1910.

Newspaper page from The North-Carolina Standard carrying the name Calhoun
The North-Carolina Standard 1850-04-10
Newspaper page from The Spanish Fork Press carrying the name Calhoun
The Spanish Fork Press 1909-02-04
Newspaper page from The Spokane Press carrying the name Calhoun
The Spokane Press 1910-01-17

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Calhoun in Australian newspapers,
1830s–1970s.

2,229 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Calhoun. The most, 393, date from the 1920s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 2.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 1,188
New South Wales 341
Tasmania 197
Queensland 186
South Australia 177
Western Australia 110
ACT (Canberra) 9
Northern Territory 1

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

Who carried it

People named Calhoun,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Calhoun
    James Calhoun 1743–1816 · politician
  • John C. Calhoun
    John C. Calhoun 1782–1850 · writer
  • Floride Calhoun
    Floride Calhoun 1792–1866 · politician
  • William B. Calhoun
    William B. Calhoun 1796–1865 · lawyer
  • James S. Calhoun
    James S. Calhoun 1802–1852 · politician

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 186 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Calhoun,
in the records of 5 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 States2,647 records

2,647 records of the Calhoun name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,354
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 553
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 374
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 169
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 81
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 70
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 24
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 12
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • Sacramento County historic burials 4
  • Riverside Cemetery, Asheville (North Carolina) 1
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Steven Brian Calhoun

    Born 1947; from New York, New York. U.S. Army, general vehicle repairman; died of wounds 1969 in Pleiku, South Vietnam. Buried at Long Island National Cemetery, New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (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 Patrick H. Calhoun

    Born 1925 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1944 at Oklahoma City; farmer from Sequeyah County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Houston National Cemetery, Texas.

    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 Jane Calhoun

    Arrived at New York in 1857 aboard the Robert L. Lane from Liverpool, aged 18; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 2,647 records for Calhoun in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia107 records

107 records of the Calhoun name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 52
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 30
  • Tasmanian Names Index 21
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 1
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Hugh Calhoun

    Died 1883 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 27. Will registered in Tasmania in 1883.

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

    Arrived in Victoria in 1857 aboard the Salem, aged 38; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. 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 Hugh Calhoun

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Buffalo, sailing from Quebec in 1839.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 107 records for Calhoun in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain).

Canada36 records

36 records of the Calhoun name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 9
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 8
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 6
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 6
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 4
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 3
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Malcolm Calhoun

    Died 1945, aged 75; buried at St. Vital Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Walter Bovey Calhoun

    Died 1945 in Amherst, Cumberland, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Douglas Hanley Calhoun

    Died in service in 1917.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 36 records for Calhoun in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · 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 Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

Netherlands4 records

4 records of the Calhoun name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 3
  • Dutch population registers 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Julia J. Calhoun

    Married in 1915 in Barneveld. Died 1970 in Amersfoort, aged 86.

    Open Archives, Gelders Archief (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Clemens Calhoun

    Died 1898 in Rotterdam, aged 21.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 4 records for Calhoun in the Netherlands.

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

France1 record

1 record of the Calhoun 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 Jack Edwards Calhoun

    Born 1915 in Paris; died 1989 in Anglet (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

    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 Calhoun.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Calhoun is.
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