Kalman
A surname that may come from an old personal name, with possible Scandinavian, Gaelic, or Frankish roots.
The #8,415 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 78,621 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is probably derived from an old personal name rather than a common noun. The historical sources connect it with an old Scandinavian Kalman and also with Frankish Carloman; one source also links it with a Gaelic personal-name tradition. In another line of explanation, it is treated as a form related to Colman, from Old English elements meaning 'helmet-man,' though this is less certain for the surname as written.
History
The name appears in historical surname dictionaries as a variant or cognate of older given names, especially Calman/Kalman forms found in northern European naming traditions. Because several different name-forms overlap in medieval records, the surname has been explained in more than one way, and the exact line of descent may vary by family. Modern bearers are comparatively uncommon, and the name is found mainly in English-speaking countries and in Jewish or Central/Eastern European contexts as well, depending on family history.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same spelling can sometimes mask completely different family histories: in one branch it may reflect a Nordic or Frankish personal name, while in another it may have been reshaped from a similar-sounding local surname.
From the historical record
“CALMAN. Identical with the old Scandinavian Kalman, and the Frankish Carloman. Ferguson. Calemau. H.R. CALTIIORPE. The ancestors of Lord C. assumed the name from Calthorpe, co.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom