Contents [hide]

Collin History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Collin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Ireland

It was among those Anglo-Saxon tribes that once ruled over Britain that the name Collin was formed. The name was 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 Collin family

The surname Collin 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 Collin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Collin 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 Collin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Collin Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Collin include Collins, Collin, Collings, Colling, Collis, Caullins, Caulling, Caullings, Caullis, Colins, Colings, Coliss and many more.

Early Notables of the Collin family

Distinguished members of the family include

Samuel Collins (1576-1651), an English clergyman and academic, Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge and Provost of King's College, Cambridge; and his son, John Collins (1624-1711), an English aca...

Collin World Ranking

In the United States, the name Collin is the 7,991^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in Quebec, Canada, the name Collin is ranked the 365^th most popular surname. 6 And in France, the name Collin is the 155^th popular surname with an estimated 20,683 people with that name. 7

Migration of the Collin family to Ireland

Some of the Collin 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.

Collin migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Collin were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Collin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Stephen Collin, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 8
Samuel Collin, who landed in Maryland in 1678 8
Pierre Collin, who settled in Carolina from 1695-1696

Collin Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jean Baptiste Collin, who arrived in Louisiana in 1756
Peter Collin, who arrived in New York in 1789 8

Collin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Patrick Collin, aged 22, who landed in New York, NY in 1803 8
P Collin, aged 25, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1839 8
Lawarence Collin, who arrived in Tippecanoe County, Ind in 1844 8
Daniel Collin, aged 39, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 8
A Lam Collin, aged 56, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Collin migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Collin Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Marie Catherine Collin, who arrived in Canada in 1665

Collin Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Edward Collin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Jack Collin, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Collin migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Collin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Patrick Collin, (Collins), (b. 1769), aged 66, Irish farm labourer who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for life for manslaughter, transported aboard the "Blackwell" on 29th September 1835, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1845 9

Collin migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Collin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Archibald Collin, aged 32, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 10
Mr. Archibald Collin, South African settler travelling from Cape Town aboard the ship "Eveline" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd January 1865 11
Mr. Henry Collin, (b. 1853), aged 26, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 12
Mrs. Elna Collin, (b. 1856), aged 23, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 12
Mr. Henry Collin, (b. 1875), aged 4, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Stad Haarlem" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand in 1879 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Collin (post 1700) +

Frederick Collin (1850-1939), American lawyer and politician from New York
Jean Collin, American politician
James Edward Collin (1876-1968), English entomologist who specialised in Diptera
George Collin (1905-1989), English footballer
Francis John Patrick Collin (b. 1987), English professional footballer
Adam James Collin (b. 1984), English football goalkeeper
Frank Joseph Collin (b. 1944), American leader of the National Socialist Party of America
Pierre Collin (1938-2023), Canadian actor and stage director, best known for his performance in the 2003 film Seducing Doctor Lewis (La Grande Séduction), for which he won the Jutra Award
Mr. John Collin, British sheriff, held the joint position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1553 to 1554
Fernand Collin (1897-1990), Belgian businessman, president of the Kredietbank from 1938 to 1973
... (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
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackwell
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html