Find out how popular the last name Calhoun is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Calhoun.

Calhoun, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Calhoun surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Calhoun in America

Calhoun is the 803rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Calhoun surname appeared 43,180 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 15 people would have the surname Calhoun.

We can also compare 2010 data for Calhoun to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Calhoun

The surname Calhoun originated in Scotland, deriving from the Gaelic words "coill" meaning "wood" and "shiune" meaning "pupil" or "seed." The name likely referred to someone who lived near a wooded area.

One of the earliest records of the Calhoun name dates back to the 12th century, when it was spelled "Colquhoun." The Colquhoun clan was prominent in the area around Loch Lomond.

In the 16th century, a variant spelling "Calhoun" emerged, particularly among those who had migrated to Ireland. The surname is found in Ulster records from this time.

The Domesday Book, a major medieval census compiled in 1086, contains no direct mentions of the Calhoun name, as it primarily covered England and was completed before the name's first recorded use.

Notable historical figures with the surname Calhoun include John Caldwell Calhoun (1782-1850), an American statesman and political theorist who served as the 7th Vice President of the United States. He was a leading voice for Southern interests in the decades before the Civil War.

Another prominent Calhoun was John Baptiste Calhoun (1782-1816), an American military officer and politician who served as the first Secretary of War under President James Monroe.

In Scotland, Sir John Colquhoun (1567-1617) was a lawyer and politician who served as Lord Clerk Register of Scotland in the early 17th century.

Andrew Colquhoun (1804-1870) was a Scottish merchant and writer who published works on the British Empire and economic policy.

Lastly, John Colquhoun (1805-1885) was a Scottish explorer and fur trader in the Pacific Northwest region of North America in the early 19th century.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Calhoun

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Calhoun.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Calhoun was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Calhoun has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Calhoun was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Calhoun, please contact us.

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