Calhoun

Calhoun is a surname and toponym in the United States. The name is most closely associated with John C. Calhoun (1782–1850), a prominent American statesman from South Carolina who served as Vice President of the United States (1825–1832) under John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson. Calhoun also held cabinet posts as Secretary of War (1817–1825) and Secretary of State (1844–1845). He was a leading advocate of states' rights and nullification and a defender of slavery, shaping debates over federal authority and emancipation.

The name appears in multiple places in the United States. Calhoun, Georgia is a city and the county seat of Gordon County. There are also several Calhoun Counties and towns named Calhoun across the country.

In higher education, Yale University's residential college named Calhoun College was renamed Grace Hopper College in 2017, in honor of computer scientist Grace Murray Hopper.

Calhoun also appears as a family name, and in other institutional names and places, reflecting the influence of the historical figure and the spread of the surname.