Callaway
Usually explained as a form of Galloway, the Scottish regional name, though some early writers treated it as a local surname of uncertain origin.
The #2,610 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 22,342 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is commonly linked to Galloway, the region in southwest Scotland, with the initial consonant softened or altered over time. Early surname scholars also treated it as a local or place-based name and noted spellings such as Callway and Kalloway. The evidence is not entirely firm, so the name is best viewed as probably regional in origin, with some uncertainty about the exact pathway of change.
History
Nineteenth-century surname dictionaries record Callaway as chiefly found in England and later in North America, and they often compare it with Galloway. The name appears in several variant spellings, which suggests a long period of fluid spelling before standardization. Modern bearers in the U.S. reflect that later Anglicized and transatlantic spread.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Early surname writers explicitly noted that C and G could interchange in old spellings, which is one reason they considered Callaway and Galloway related.
From the historical record
“shires of Perth, Stirling, &c. CALLAWAY. A corruption of Gallo- way ? CALLER. One who drives oxen or horses under the yoke. Jamieson. CALLEY. The Calleys of AVilts deduce fi'om Norfolk. I find no locality so de- nominated, and the family may possibly spring from the Scottish M'Caulays. CALLOW. Places in cos.…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United KingdomNotable people named Callaway
- CeeLo Green (b. 1975)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.