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Cal Family History

Cal Name Meaning

Spanish: topographic name for someone who lived by an area of limestone, from cal ‘lime(stone)’ (from Late Latin cals, Latin calx). Spanish: variant of Calle. Portuguese: reduced variant of Canal. Polish (Ca{l-}): nickname from an Old Polish variant of ca{l-}y ‘whole’, ‘entire’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press


Similar surnames: Cap, Cala, Gal, Call, Cail, Cale, Can, Casal, Calk, Car

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Cal family from?

You can see how Cal families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Cal family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Cal families were found in the USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 8 Cal families living in Manitoba. This was about 25% of all the recorded Cal's in Canada. Manitoba and 1 other province had the highest population of Cal families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Cal 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 Cal ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the US named Cal. 39% of Cal men worked as a Farmer and 17% of Cal women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Cal were Farm Laborer and Farm Laborer.

View Census data for Cal | 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.

United States shown, Canada data unavailable

Top Male Occupations in 1940

  • Farmer
    39%
  • Laborer
    31%
  • Farming
    11%
  • Farm Laborer
    7%

Top Female Occupations in 1940

  • Housekeeper
    17%
  • Cook
    17%
  • Teacher
    13%
  • Farm Laborer
    13%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Cal family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 24,000 census records available for the last name Cal. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Cal census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Cal

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Cal. 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 Cal immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 62,000 military records available for the last name Cal. For the veterans among your Cal ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Cal military records

You've only scratched the surface of Cal family history.

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What is the average Cal lifespan?

Between 1958 and 2004, in the United States, Cal life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1990, and highest in 2004. The average life expectancy for Cal in 1958 was 47, and 92 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Cal

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