Calhoun Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Calhoun last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Calhoun last name
Meaning of the Calhoun last name: from the lands of Colquhoun. Calhoun is the American spelling of the Scottish surname Colquhoun, from lands in Dunbartonshire; the family later held Luss on the shore of Loch Lomond. Many moved to Ulster, where the last name became Colhoun and Calhoun. A curious detail: both spellings are said the same way, "ca-HOON", and US Vice President John C. Calhoun descended from a Donegal family of the name.
Arms associated with the Calhoun name
In Scotland a coat of arms is strictly personal and still overseen by the Court of the Lord Lyon, so each blazon associated with the Calhoun name belongs to one bearer at a time.
Get your full Calhoun family history
This is only a glimpse of the Calhoun story. The full Calhoun 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 Calhoun coat of arms. Get the full Calhoun report.
Calhoun name FAQ
What does the Calhoun name mean?
From the lands of Colquhoun. Common variants include Colquhoun, Colhoun, Cahoon.
Where does the Calhoun surname come from?
It originates in Scotland, and is also found in the United States, Northern Ireland and Canada.
Is there a Calhoun coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Calhoun coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Sir William Fraser, The Chiefs of Colquhoun and their Country (1869); George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).