2000
#41,859
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 489
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.18
Very Rare Last name
Calame
Of French origin, the surname Calame likely stems from the Latin word "calamus" meaning reed or pen.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 670 Americans carry the last name Calame. That puts it at #40,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 511,574 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calame surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
670
1 in 511,574
Census rank
#40,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
584
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 584 bearers of the surname Calame in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 40442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calame, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calame
The surname Calame has its origins in the French-speaking region of Switzerland, particularly in the canton of Neuchâtel. It is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century.
Calame is thought to be derived from the Old French word "calm," which means "peaceful" or "tranquil." This could suggest that the name may have initially referred to someone with a calm or peaceful demeanor or perhaps someone who lived in a serene or tranquil area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Calame surname can be found in the village of Le Locle, in the Jura Mountains of Switzerland, where a family by that name is mentioned in historical records dating back to the 16th century.
The Calame surname has also been associated with certain place names in Switzerland, such as the village of Calame, located in the canton of Vaud. It is possible that the surname may have originated from this location or that individuals from this area adopted the name.
Notable individuals with the surname Calame include Jean-Jacques Calame (1716-1790), a Swiss watchmaker and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of the watchmaking industry in the Neuchâtel region.
Another individual of note is Alexandre Calame (1810-1864), a Swiss landscape painter renowned for his realistic depictions of the Swiss Alps and mountain scenery. His works are highly regarded and can be found in various art museums and collections around the world.
In the realm of literature, Edouard Calame (1892-1952) was a Swiss writer and poet who published several collections of poetry and prose works, many of which explored themes of nature and the Swiss landscape.
The Calame surname has also been associated with individuals in the field of science, such as François Calame (1841-1913), a Swiss chemist and professor who made significant contributions to the study of organic chemistry.
Lastly, one cannot overlook the impact of the Calame family on the watchmaking industry in Switzerland. The Calame family has a long history in this field, with several generations involved in the production and innovation of Swiss watches, particularly in the Neuchâtel region.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calame
Among Census respondents with the surname Calame, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Calame bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Calame surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.5% · 505
- Black or African American7.2% · 42
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 17
- Two or more races2.6% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 5
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calame
Calame appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#39,960
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 549
+60 bearers (+12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Up 1,899 places
2020
#40,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 584
+35 bearers (+6.4%)
Per 100,000 0.20
Rank movement Down 482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #41,859 | 489 | 0.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #39,960 | 549 | 0.19 | +60 bearers (+12.3%) | Up 1,899 places |
| 2020 | #40,442 | 584 | 0.20 | +35 bearers (+6.4%) | Down 482 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Calame surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #39,960 | #40,442 | -1.2% |
| Count | 549 | 584 | 6.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.20 | 2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calame bearers went from 549 to 584 (+6.4% change). The surname moved down 482 positions in the national ranking, going from #39,960 to #40,442.
FAQ
Calame surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calame?
Name Census estimates that about 670 living Americans carry the surname Calame. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 511,574 residents.
How common is Calame?
Calame ranks #40,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 584 people with the surname Calame. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (670), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Calame.
Has Calame become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calame went from 549 recorded bearers to 584. That is an increase of 35 (+6.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #39,960 to #40,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Calame?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calame, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.5%. The next largest groups are Black (7.2%) and Hispanic (2.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Calame in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.5% (505 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calame appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.5%), Black (7.2%), Hispanic (2.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Calame (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Calame mean?
Of French origin, the surname Calame likely stems from the Latin word "calamus" meaning reed or pen. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Calame (0.20 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people are called Calame?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Calame is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.