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Caldwell Family History

Caldwell Surname Meaning

English, Scottish, and Northern Irish: habitational name from any of several places in England and Scotland variously spelled that are named with Old English ceald ‘cold’ + well(a) ‘spring, stream’. Caldwell in North Yorkshire is one major source of the surname; Caldwell in Renfrewshire in Scotland is another. Possibly also from Caldwell (Warwickshire), Caldwall (Worcestershire), Cauldwell (Bedfordshire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire), Caudle Green (Gloucestershire), Caudle Ditch or Cawdle Fen (Cambridgeshire), Chadwell (Essex, Hertfordshire, Leicestershire, Wiltshire), Chardwell (Essex), or Chardle Ditch (Cambridgeshire, early recorded as Kadewelle).

Irish: when not the English surname, this is an Anglicized form of Ó Fuarghuis or Ó hUarghusa ‘descendant of (F)uarghus’, a personal name whose literal sense ‘cold’ + ‘choice’ was reinterpreted as coming from fuaruisce ‘cold water’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Caldwell family from?

You can see how Caldwell families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Caldwell family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Caldwell families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 719 Caldwell families living in Ontario. This was about 49% of all the recorded Caldwell's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Caldwell families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Caldwell surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Caldwell ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Stenographer were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Caldwell. 42% of Caldwell men worked as a Farmer and 15% of Caldwell women worked as a Stenographer. Some less common occupations for Americans named Caldwell were Carpenter and Farmer.

View Census Data for Caldwell | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    42%
  • Labourer
    8%
  • Laborer
    6%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Stenographer
    15%
  • Teacher
    12%
  • Housekeeper
    11%
  • Farmer
    8%

What Caldwell family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 432,000 census records available for the last name Caldwell. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Caldwell census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Caldwell

Passenger Lists

There are 50,000 immigration records available for the last name Caldwell. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Caldwell immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 96,000 military records available for the last name Caldwell. For the veterans among your Caldwell ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Caldwell military records

You've only scratched the surface of Caldwell family history

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What is the average Caldwell lifespan?

Between 1940 and 2004, in the United States, Caldwell life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2002. The average life expectancy for Caldwell in 1940 was 39, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Caldwell

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Caldwell ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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