A Scottish, English and Irish surname of Caldwell comes from the Old English word of ‘caeld’ and ‘cald’ which refers to cold. Also the term ‘welle’ which means spring or well. The Caldwell name is a person who lives near a cold water well.

In Scotland the Caldwell name first appeared in Renfrewshire region.

Many Caldwell families left Scotland in the 17th and 18th centuries to resettle in Canada and America. In the 19th century additional Caldwells moved to Australia.

Spelling variations for Caldwell include Caldewell, Coldwell, Cauldwell, Cawldwell, Guildwell and Caldwill.

In Northern England in Yorkshire the Caldwell name is very popular. A high population of Caldwell also live in Lancashire county. In Scotland the Caldwell surname is in the southwestern area of Ayrshire, Renfrewshire and Lanarkshire counties.

Caldwells in the United States are primarily located in Texas, California, Tennessee, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, North Carolina, Kentucky, New York and Pennsylvania.


Famous: Joe Caldwell (professional basketball player), Taylor Caldwell (U. S. novelist), Zoe Caldwell (actress from Australia), John C. Caldwell (Civil War Union general), Enda Caldwell (TV personality in Ireland), Sarah Caldwell (U. S. conductor of the opera), Kimberly Caldwell (TV entertainer), Francis X. Caldwell (19th century land developer and businessman in Upper Canada) and Clive R. Caldwell (ace pilot for Australia in the 1940s).