Family name origins & meanings
- Dutch and North German : from kal(e)fat ‘oakum’, ‘tow’, ‘calk’ (loose fibers of rope used to caulk a ship’s seams and make her watertight), hence a metonymic occupational name for a calker, someone who specialized in making ships watertight. The word is ultimately from Arabic qalafa; it is also found in 17th-century English in various spellings, mainly calf(r)et.