The Callis surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 3,877 people carried this name — #8,496 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 76,300 people counted. That is up 4% from 3,733 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the Callis surname

As an English and Welsh surname

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

An early record he cites: John de Caleys, 1291–92 (20 Edward I) — Placita de Quo Warranto.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 156 · public domain.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 46 people named Callis.

12 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 6 départements, most often Pyrénées-Orientales.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 12
Pyrénées-Orientales 25
Bouches-du-Rhône 3
Landes 2
Val-de-Marne 2
Hérault 1
Nord 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

20 families named Callis, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 100 people lived in those households, 5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. 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

Virginia 16
Maryland 2
New York 1
North Carolina 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

Callis in American newspapers,
1907–1909.

Newspaper page from Times-promoter carrying the name Callis
Times-promoter 1909-12-09
Newspaper page from Times-promoter carrying the name Callis
Times-promoter 1909-12-23
Newspaper page from Times-promoter carrying the name Callis
Times-promoter 1907-06-21

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 49,546 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Callis in Australian newspapers,
1870s–1980s.

430 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Callis. The most, 89, date from the 1870s. Victoria has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.9 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 141
New South Wales 133
South Australia 103
Queensland 31
Western Australia 10
Tasmania 9
ACT (Canberra) 3

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

Who carried it

People named Callis,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Benton Callis
    John Benton Callis 1828–1898 · businessperson
  • Charles A. Callis
    Charles A. Callis 1865–1947 · politician
  • Eulalia Callis 1758–
  • Alice Callis Hunter 1898–1989 · community leader
  • Helmut G. Callis 1906–1982 · historian
  • Ken Callis 1911– · basketball player

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 Callis,
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 States305 records

305 records of the Callis name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 146
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 55
  • Other U.S. records 104
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record David George Callis

    Born 1946; from Redwood City, California. U.S. Marine Corps, machinegunner; killed in action 1966 in Thua Thien, South Vietnam. Buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    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 Ernest S. Callis

    Born 1915 in Indiana. Enlisted 1941 at Fort Benjamin Harrison; farm hand from Gibson County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1997, buried at Owensville Cemetery, Indiana.

    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 Ernestine Callis

    Arrived at Baltimore in 1891 aboard the Karlsruhe from Bremen, aged 16; farmer. From Prussia, Germany.

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

Showing 3 of 305 records for Callis in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · 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, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Australia52 records

52 records of the Callis name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 45
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • Other Australian records 5
  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 Callis

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Mary Anne, arriving 1835; ticket of leave 1853.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Cyriokos Callis

    Confectioner of Caulfield, Victoria; died 1957.

    Public Record Office Victoria (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 Mary J. Callis

    Arrived in Victoria in 1871 aboard the Yorkshire, aged 24.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 52 records for Callis in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). 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).

Netherlands29 records

29 records of the Callis name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 27
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Francois Callis

    Married in 1837 in Amsterdam; "vrederechter".

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joanna Callis

    Married in 1796 in Luyksgestel; born in Luyksgestel.

    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 Grietje Callis

    Married in 1640 in Rotterdam; born in Engelant.

    Open Archives, Stadsarchief Rotterdam (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 29 records for Callis 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).

France20 records

20 records of the Callis 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 Rosa Reine Marie Callis

    Born 1913 in Mont-de-Marsan (Landes); died 1986 in Biarritz (Pyrénées-Atlantiques).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Joseph Jean Emmanuel Callis

    Born 1906 in Elne; died 1991 in Elne (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Aime Michel Callis

    Born 1928 in Perpignan; died 1972 in Perpignan (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 20 records for Callis in France.

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).

Canada14 records

14 records of the Callis name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 12
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Leo George Callis

    Died 1962 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record John Alfred Callis

    Died 1954; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Edward Callis

    Married 1916 in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 14 records for Callis in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany4 records

4 records of the Callis name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Herbert Callis

    From Eßlingen. Reported missing in the Württemberg casualty list of 25 February 1915; then reported dead in the list of 3 September 1918 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 247).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Emil Callis

    From Stettin. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 10 March 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 31).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  3. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Wilhelm Callis

    From Dramburg, Neustettin. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 28 November 1918 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 5).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for Callis in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Callis name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. H. Callis

    Seaforth Highlanders. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    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 F. W. E. Callis

    Leicestershire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). 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).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Callis.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Callis 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.

See the Callis volume
Scroll to Top