The McCallister surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 8,545 people carried this name — #4,146 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 34,500 people counted. That is up 10% from 7,769 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the McCallister surname

Variant of McAllister.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McCallister» (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

111 families named McCallister, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 571 people lived in those households, 5.1 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McCallister, McAlaster, McAlester, McAlister, McAllaster, McAllester, McAllister, McCalester, McCalister, McCallaster, McCallester, McCallestor, McColister, M'Colister, McCollester, McCollister, McCollistor, McOllister. 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 33
North Carolina 21
Maryland 16
New Hampshire 15
South Carolina 13
New York 5
Maine 4
Vermont 3
Massachusetts 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. 252 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McCallister in American newspapers,
1929.

Newspaper page from Brownsville Herald carrying the name McCallister
Brownsville Herald 1929-08-22
Newspaper page from Brownsville Herald carrying the name McCallister
Brownsville Herald 1929-08-21
Newspaper page from Brownsville Herald carrying the name McCallister
Brownsville Herald 1929-08-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 9,437 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McCallister in Australian newspapers,
1910s–1960s.

78 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McCallister. The most, 24, date from the 1940s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 1.3 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 35
Queensland 15
Victoria 10
Western Australia 9
South Australia 6
Tasmania 2
ACT (Canberra) 1

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

Who carried it

People named McCallister,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Lon McCallister
    Lon McCallister 1923–2005 · film actor
  • Charles McCallister 1903–1997 · water polo player
  • Don McCallister 1904–1977 · American football player

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McCallister,
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 States427 records

427 records of the McCallister name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 234
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 90
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 39
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 38
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 11
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 11
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 2
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 1
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Bill J. McCallister

    Born 1919 in Tennessee. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; dairy farmer from Mc Minn County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Pond Hill Cemetery, Niota, Tennessee.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record William McCallister

    Born 1931; from Fayette County, West Virginia. U.S. Army, light weapons infantry leader; killed in action 1953 in North Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Elizabeth McCallister

    Arrived at New York in 1868 aboard the Caledonia from Glasgow, aged 16; servant. From Ireland.

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

Showing 3 of 427 records for McCallister 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) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia32 records

32 records of the McCallister name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 23
  • Tasmanian Names Index 4
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 1
  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 Ellen McCallister

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Palambam, arriving 1831; certificate of freedom 1839.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Robt McCallister

    Arrived in Victoria in 1860 aboard the Arabia, aged 40; Scottish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Phyllis Irene McCallister

    Of Oakleigh, Victoria; died 1990.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 32 records for McCallister 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). 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); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada4 records

4 records of the McCallister name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Ontario immigration records, 1865–1883 1
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Thomas McCallister

    Died 1995; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Walter L. McCallister

    Buried in 1921 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.

Showing 2 of 4 records for McCallister in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

New Zealand4 records

4 records of the McCallister name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annie Goddard McCallister

    Died 1920, aged 40; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, 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 Beverly Edith McCallister

    Died 1975, aged 55; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Norman Francis McCallister

    Died 2000, aged 86; buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 4 records for McCallister in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City 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).

United Kingdom1 record

1 record of the McCallister 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 R. McCallister

    Royal Scots Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    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 McCallister.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McCallister 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 McCallister volume
Scroll to Top