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

McCaleb, 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 McCaleb surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of McCaleb in America

McCaleb is the 11275th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The McCaleb surname appeared 2,802 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname McCaleb.

We can also compare 2010 data for McCaleb 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 McCaleb

The surname McCaleb has its origins in Scotland, where it first appeared in the 14th century. It is derived from the Gaelic "MacChaluim," meaning "son of Calum" or "son of Columba." Columba was a popular name among early Christian missionaries in Scotland, and the name likely originated with followers of St. Columba, the famous 6th-century Irish missionary who established a monastery on the island of Iona.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland in 1390, where a John McCaleb is mentioned as a landowner in the county of Ayr. The name also appears in various other historical records from the 15th and 16th centuries, often with variations in spelling such as McCalebbe, McCalub, and McCallum.

In the 17th century, the McCaleb family became associated with the town of Kilwinning, located in North Ayrshire. The family played a prominent role in the local community, with several members serving as magistrates and council members throughout the 1600s. One notable figure was Robert McCaleb (1625-1698), who was a prominent merchant and served as the Provost (mayor) of Kilwinning from 1679 to 1683.

As the Scottish diaspora spread across the world, the McCaleb name traveled with it. In the 18th century, several members of the family emigrated to the American colonies, where they settled in various regions, including the Carolinas and Virginia. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in America is that of William McCaleb (1735-1812), who served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War and later settled in South Carolina.

Throughout the 19th century, the McCaleb name became more widespread in the United States. Notable individuals included James McCaleb (1801-1878), a prominent Baptist minister and educator who founded the Bethel College in Kentucky, and John Berry McCaleb (1851-1936), a missionary who spent over 40 years spreading Christianity in Japan.

Other notable individuals with the McCaleb surname include:

1. James Addison McCaleb (1878-1958), an American lawyer and politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania.
2. Ralph McCaleb (1913-1957), an American actor and stuntman who appeared in numerous Western films and TV shows.
3. Walter Flavius McCaleb (1847-1936), a Confederate soldier during the American Civil War and later a prominent lawyer and judge in Texas.
4. Robert McCaleb (1919-2012), an American entrepreneur and businessman who co-founded the Waffle House restaurant chain.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name McCaleb

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

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 McCaleb 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 McCaleb 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 McCaleb was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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