Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Callum

Callum is a variant spelling of Calum both of which are Scottish masculine names. Essentially Callum is the Scottish Gaelic equivalent to Columba in reference to Saint Columba, a 6th century Irish missionary who is credited with converting Scotland to Christianity. Basically, he is to Scotland what St. Patrick is to Ireland. Saint Columba is also regarded as one of the Twelve Apostles of Ireland and remains an important figure among the Irish and the Scottish Gaels. Columba is a Latin name meaning "dove". In Christian tradition the dove is symbolic of the Holy Spirit (which makes it a fitting name for a saint). Doves also represent peace, love and hope. St. Columba is still celebrated in Scotland via the name Callum, but it is also a Top 20 boy’s name in Ireland and Northern Ireland, a Top 50 name in England and Top 75 in Australia. Apparently Americans haven’t gotten the Callum memo yet because it’s a low ranking name in the United States.

All About the Baby Name – Callum

Personality

OF THE BOY NAME CALLUM

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE BOY NAME CALLUM

Callum is a new entrant on the American male naming charts. The name recently appeared in 2008 and has only climbed modest levels since then. Callum is still residing at the bottom of the charts and would be considered an uncommon name in America (the same cannot be said for our friends over the pond). If you’re a fan of names like Caleb or Calvin but think they’re a little too overused and want something more original, then Callum might be an option for you. It’s an especially great name for parents of Scottish heritage. You could also consider Malcolm (which is Scottish-Gaelic for “devotee of Columba”) or Coleman which is an Irish diminutive of Colm (the Irish version of Columba). Callum is still largely ignored by Americans so it’s a great choice for those looking for something unique! Since it’s so enormously popular throughout Great Britain and Ireland it may be only a matter of time before it catches on in the United States so you may want to get ahead of the trend on this one.

Quick Facts

ON CALLUM

GENDER:

Boy

ORIGIN:

Gaelic

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

2

RANKING POPULARITY:

787

PRONUNCIATION:

KAL-um

SIMPLE MEANING:

Dove

Characteristics

OF CALLUM

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Callum

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME CALLUM

We cannot find any significant literary characters by the name of Callum

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME CALLUM

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Callum


Popular Songs

ON CALLUM

We cannot find any popular or well-known songs with the name of Callum


Famous People

NAMED CALLUM

Callum Blue (British actor)
Callum Davidson (Scottish footballer)
Callum MacLeod (British racecar driver)
Callum Keith Rennie (Canadian actor)

Children of Famous People

NAMED CALLUM

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Callum

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME CALLUM

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Callum