Family History and Genealogy Resources by Surname
Metcalf Surname Origin
In the Welsh, medd signifies a vale, a meadow, and caf, a cell, a chancel, a church, i. e., the church in the vale. The origin of the name, however, is given by tradition in this wise. In those days when bullfights were in vogue, in merry England, one of the enraged animals broke away from the combat, and was hotly pursued by horsemen. A certain John Strong happened to meet the bull on the top of a hill, and when attacked by the furious beast, he seized him in the nostrils with his left hand, and killed him. As he came to the foot of the hill, meeting several persons in the pursuit, he was inquired of whether he had met a bull; he replied he 'Met a calf,' and from this circumstance was called afterward John Metcalfe.
Source: An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names With an Essay on their Derivation and Import; Arthur, William, M.A.; New York, NY: Sheldon, Blake, Bleeker & CO., 1857.
Metcalf Surname Meaning and Family Facts
Metcalf Last Name Meaning
Search the FREE Ancestry.com Name Dictionary.
There is more to Metcalf family history than the origin of your surname:
Start your Genealogy to find your personal Metcalf family ancestry. It's easy to get started. Just begin your family tree with what you already know. Learn More.
A Metcalf Family History Thought:
'Not to know what happened before we were born is to remain perpetually a child. For what is the worth of a human life unless it is woven into the life of our ancestors by the records of history' -- Cicero