2000
#11,986
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,391
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Caulder
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Inverness, or an occupational name for a coal merchant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,609 Americans carry the last name Caulder. That puts it at #12,915 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 131,374 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Caulder 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
2.6K
1 in 131,374
Census rank
#12,915
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,275 bearers of the surname Caulder in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12915th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Caulder, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Caulder
The surname Caulder originates from England and Scotland, likely emerging in the 13th century. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English words 'cald' meaning cold, and 'er' meaning a person from a particular place. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived in a cold or chilly area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Caulder can be found in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where it appears as 'Caldur'. This spelling variation reflects the name's evolution over time, potentially influenced by local dialects and regional pronunciations.
In Scotland, the name Caulder is believed to have originated from the lands of Calder, located in the counties of Midlothian and West Lothian. The name may have been adopted by individuals who lived or worked on these lands, eventually becoming a hereditary surname.
Historically, the Caulder name has been associated with notable individuals, such as Sir Robert Caulder (1610-1680), a Scottish merchant and parliamentarian who played a significant role in the political and economic affairs of his time.
Another prominent figure was William Caulder (1798-1859), a British naval officer and explorer who served in the Royal Navy and participated in several expeditions to the Arctic regions.
In the literary world, Agnes Caulder (1859-1935), a Scottish author and poet, gained recognition for her works that captured the essence of rural life in Scotland.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the Caulder surname. However, it does mention place names like Calder, suggesting the name's connection to these locations.
Other notable individuals with the Caulder surname include John Caulder (1739-1818), a Scottish mathematician and astronomer, and Robert Caulder (1823-1882), a British explorer and naturalist who made significant contributions to the study of flora and fauna in South America.
While the Caulder name has its roots in England and Scotland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, reflecting the migration patterns of individuals bearing this surname over the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Caulder
Among Census respondents with the surname Caulder, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Caulder 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 Caulder surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.0% · 1,910
- Two or more races5.1% · 117
- Black or African American4.3% · 97
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.7% · 84
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Caulder
Caulder 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
#12,827
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,403
+12 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 841 places
2020
#12,915
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,275
-128 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 0.76
Rank movement Down 88 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,986 | 2,391 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,827 | 2,403 | 0.81 | +12 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 841 places |
| 2020 | #12,915 | 2,275 | 0.76 | -128 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 88 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 Caulder 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 | #12,827 | #12,915 | -0.7% |
| Count | 2,403 | 2,275 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.76 | -6.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Caulder bearers went from 2,403 to 2,275 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 88 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,827 to #12,915.
FAQ
Caulder surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Caulder?
Name Census estimates that about 2,609 living Americans carry the surname Caulder. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 131,374 residents.
How common is Caulder?
Caulder ranks #12,915 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.76 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,275 people with the surname Caulder. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,609), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.76 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.76 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Caulder.
Has Caulder become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Caulder went from 2,403 recorded bearers to 2,275. That is a decrease of 128 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,827 to #12,915.
What does the Census say about the background of Caulder?
Among Census respondents with the surname Caulder, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.1%) and Black (4.3%). 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 Caulder in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.0% (1,910 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Caulder appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.0%), Two or More Races (5.1%), Black (4.3%). 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 Caulder (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 Caulder mean?
A Scottish locational surname derived from a place near Inverness, or an occupational name for a coal merchant. 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 Caulder (0.76 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 share the surname Caulder?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.