Caldwell Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Caldwell last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Caldwell last name
Meaning of the Caldwell last name: from Caldwell, "cold spring". Caldwell comes from places in Scotland and northern England whose name meant cold spring or cold stream. Families from these places took the name with them, and it later spread to Ulster and America. A curious detail: many place-based names like this preserve old words that have long disappeared from everyday speech, like the 'well' meaning a spring.
Arms associated with the Caldwell name
In Scotland, arms are strictly personal, and relatives carry their own versions that grow from the head of the family's shield, a tradition the Caldwell name belongs to.
Get your full Caldwell family history
This is only a glimpse of the Caldwell story. The full Caldwell history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Caldwell coat of arms. Get the full Caldwell report.
Caldwell name FAQ
What does the Caldwell name mean?
From Caldwell, "cold spring". Common variants include Cauldwell, Colwell, Caudwell.
Where does the Caldwell surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in Northern Ireland, the United States and England.
Is there a Caldwell coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Caldwell coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford); US Census Bureau 2010.