2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Calway
One for a person from Calway or Calva in France.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 112 Americans carry the last name Calway. That puts it at #156,269 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 3,060,307 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Calway 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Calway with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
112
1 in 3,060,307
Census rank
#156,269
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
98
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 98 bearers of the surname Calway in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 156269th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Calway, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Calway
The surname Calway has its origins in England, tracing back to the 12th century. It is believed to be a locational name derived from the Old English words "cald" meaning "cold" and "weg" meaning "way" or "road," suggesting a connection to a cold or chilly path or road.
Variations of the spelling include Caldway, Caldewey, and Caldwaye, which can be found in ancient records and manuscripts from various regions of England. One of the earliest mentions of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1205, where a person named Richard de Caldewey is listed.
In the 13th century, the Calway surname was particularly prominent in the counties of Gloucestershire and Wiltshire. The Subsidy Rolls of 1327 for Gloucestershire record a William de Caldwaye, while the Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1333 for Wiltshire mention a John de Caldewey.
The name is also associated with various place names, such as Caldeway in Gloucestershire and Caldeweyeshull in Wiltshire. These place names likely originated from the same Old English roots and may have influenced the formation of the surname.
One notable figure in history bearing the Calway surname was John Calway, a prominent English lawyer and member of the House of Commons, who lived from 1572 to 1642. He served as the Recorder of Gloucester and represented the city in Parliament during the reign of King Charles I.
Another individual of significance was Sir William Calway, a British diplomat and politician who lived from 1666 to 1732. He served as the Ambassador to the Netherlands and was later appointed as the Governor of the Hudson's Bay Company.
In the 18th century, the Calway family gained prominence in the city of Bristol, where several members held significant positions in local government and commerce. One such figure was Thomas Calway, who served as the Mayor of Bristol in 1765.
The name also appears in various literary works, such as the 17th-century play "The Spanish Gypsy" by Thomas Middleton and William Rowley, where a character named Calway is mentioned.
During the 19th century, the Calway surname continued to be present in various parts of England, with notable individuals like James Calway, a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Bath, born in 1815.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Calway
Among Census respondents with the surname Calway, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Calway 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 Calway surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.7% · 81
- Black or African American8.2% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino6.1% · 6
- Two or more races3.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Calway
Calway 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
+4 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,521 places
2020
#156,269
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 98
-10 bearers (-9.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 4,737 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | +4 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 5,521 places |
| 2020 | #156,269 | 98 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-9.3%) | Down 4,737 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 Calway 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 | #151,532 | #156,269 | -3.1% |
| Count | 108 | 98 | -9.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -18.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Calway bearers went from 108 to 98 (-9.3% change). The surname moved down 4,737 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #156,269.
FAQ
Calway surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Calway?
Name Census estimates that about 112 living Americans carry the surname Calway. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 3,060,307 residents.
How common is Calway?
Calway ranks #156,269 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 98 people with the surname Calway. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (112), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Calway.
Has Calway become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Calway went from 108 recorded bearers to 98. That is a decrease of 10 (-9.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #151,532 to #156,269.
What does the Census say about the background of Calway?
Among Census respondents with the surname Calway, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.7%. The next largest groups are Black (8.2%) and Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Calway in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.7% (81 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Calway appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.7%), Black (8.2%), Hispanic (6.1%). 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 Calway (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 Calway mean?
One for a person from Calway or Calva in France. 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 Calway (0.03 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 common is the surname Calway?
You can see how many people have the surname Calway on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.