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Callan
I've been wondering about the name Callan a bit recently. Around my town there are a lot of boys with names Callan, Calin, Callen ect. Not one of these names is on the site and I am kind of curious as to where it might have come from. All the 'Callan's I know are under twenty so maybe it is a recent name but it seems strange that it would turn up in such abundance so quickly. Does anyone know how it might have ended up so prominent in Queensland, Australia?
My own business always bores me to death; I prefer other people's.

- Oscar Wilde
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meaning and origin of callanI have a name book which puts callan as one of the spellings for the name "Caelan"
It's Language/Cultural origin is "Scottish"
It's Inherent Meaning is "Victorious"
It's Spriitual connotation is "Defended of God"
There is a Bible verse that goes nicely with it:
Isaiah 54:17 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn.So, Now the boys in your town can know what their name means! Enjoy!
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I agree with Chrisell that Callan's popularity in Queensland probably comes from its similarity in sound to Callum. But it may not be a complete creation, because Callan and Callen exist as Scottish and Irish surnames. According to Reaney & Wilson's A Dictionary of English Surnames, in Scotland Callan is a variation of MacAllan, and in Ireland it is derived from Cathalan, a diminutive of a name meaning "battle mighty."
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You said what I was going to say but with more information and in more words :-)I'd like to add a random note: My 3rd grade Science teacher's surname was Callan :-)
"Chan eil tuil air nach tig traoghadh"
Capt. Malcolm Reynolds - Half of writing history is hiding the truth.
- Serenity

This message was edited 4/3/2006, 10:45 AM

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As far as I know, Callan is a trendy alteration of Callum (click link). Boys' names ending in -an have been very trendy in the last 20 years, which would explain the high prevalence of Callans. It's common around here (Perth) too.
ChrisellAll we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us. - J.R.R. Tolkien.

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