Contents [hide]

Colin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Colin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

The Colin surname finds its earliest origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name is derived from the personal name Nicholas. A common diminutive of the name Nicholas was Colin. 1

Saint Collen was a 7th-century monk who gave his name to Llangollen, Denbighshire which translates from the Welsh as "church of the hazel-wood."

Early Origins of the Colin family

The surname Colin was first found in various counties throughout old Britain. By example, the Hundreorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Colince or Colunce as holding lands at Chadlington, Oxford, and Hugh de Culunce had custody of Pont Orson temp. King John, c. 1200. Ernis de Coulonces married a daughter of William de Warrenne, Earl of Surrey, temp. Henry I. and Hugh de Colonches in 1165, held a barony of four fees. Adam de Coulnce paid a fine to the King in Oxfordshire 1203, and Hugh de Coulnce confirmed lands to Mottisfont Priory 2

We must look to Somerset to view an early entry for an early phonetic match to the more popular spellings of today. For it is there that John Colyngs was listed as holding lands, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 3

Down in Cornwall, the Halset manor in Lesnewth, "belonged to the family of Colyn but in the reign of James I. it was the property of Thomas Southcott, Esq. and Mr. Humphrey Brown." 4

Again in Cornwall, "the manor of Luxulian was in the family of Collins in the reign of Elizabeth, after which it became the property of the Kendalls." 4

Early History of the Colin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colin research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1500, 1576, 1618, 1623, 1624, 1625, 1651, 1653, 1660, 1667, 1683, 1690, 1697, 1705, 1711 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Colin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colin Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Colin are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Colin include: Collins, Collin, Collings, Colling, Collis, Caullins, Caulling, Caullings, Caullis, Colins, Colings, Coliss and many more.

Early Notables of the Colin family

Distinguished members of the family include

Richard Cooling or Coling (d. 1697), was Clerk of the privy council who became Secretary to the Earl of Manchester on that nobleman's being appointed Lord Chamberlain in 1660. 5

Colin Ranking

In the United States, the name Colin is the 7,992^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6 However, in France, the name Colin is ranked the 80^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,550 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Colin family to Ireland

Some of the Colin family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colin migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Colin or a variant listed above:

Colin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Francois Colin, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1764 8

Colin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Colin, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 8
Jean Colin, aged 28, who arrived in New York in 1854 8

Colin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Colin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Michel Colin, son of Mathurin and Jacqueline, who married Louise Charon, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Longueuil, Quebec on 19th February 1703 9
André Colin, son of Mathurin and Jacqueline, who married Jeanne Cadieu, daughter of Jean and Marie, in Quebec on 14th May 1704 9
Pierre Colin, son of Mathurin and Jacqueline, who married Marthe Bouteiller, daughter of André and Angélique, in Longueuil, Quebec on 11th August 1715 9
Joseph Colin, son of André and Jeanne, who married Jeanne Masson, daughter of Pierre and Catherine, in Terrebonne, Quebec on 5th July 1728 9
François Colin, son of Michel and Louise, who married Marguerite Chevalier, daughter of Jean and Catherine, in Verchères, Quebec on 23rd November 1733 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Colin migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Colin Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Bartolome Colin, who arrived in Dominican Republic in 1834 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Colin (post 1700) +

Kathryn Colin (b. 1974), American sprint canoer
Christie Colin (b. 1982), née Bisco, an American multiple gold medalist compound archer
Margaret Colin (b. 1958), American actress
Sid Colin (1920-1989), English screenwriter
René Raúl Drucker Colín (1937-2017), Mexican scientist, investigator and journalist
Philippe Colin (b. 1979), French sprint canoer
Richarno Colin (b. 1987), Mauritian boxer
Jürgen Colin (b. 1981), Dutch professional footballer
Ian Colin (1910-1987), British film and television actor
Jean-Claude Colin (1790-1875), French priest, founder of the Society of Mary
... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Internoscia, Arthur E., and Claire Chevrier. Dictionnaire National des Canadiens Français 1608-1760. Vol. 1, Institut Drouin, 1958.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies