Colborn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Colborn comes from when the family resided in Colbourne, a township in the parish of Catterick in the North Riding of Yorkshire. 1 It is from the place-name that the family name is derived. 2 3

The place-names come from the Old English words "col," meaning "cool," and "burna," meaning "stream," collectively meaning "dweller near a cold stream." 4

The Domesday Book of 1086 lists this place as Corburne 5 and by 1198 it was known as Coleburn.

Early Origins of the Colborn family

The surname Colborn was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first of the name on record was Geoffrey de Colebrunn in 1208 who held estates in the North Riding of Yorkshire in the parish of Catterick. Later, William de Colburn was listed as a Freeman of York in 1386. 6

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included Ricardus Collebround and Margarela Colbrand. 7

Researching old Somerset records we found Robert Colbern and William Colebrond both listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 8

Early History of the Colborn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colborn research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1386, 1622, 1631, 1677, 1686, 1693, 1695, 1701, 1778, 1794, 1795, 1799, 1800, 1801, 1808 and 1863 are included under the topic Early Colborn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colborn Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Colborn include Colburn, Colburne, Colborne, Colbourne, Coulbourne, Colbourn, Cullburn, Colborn, Colbryn, Coulbryne, Culbourne, Cullburne and many more.

Early Notables of the Colborn family

Notables of the family at this time include

Sir John Colborne, first Baron Seaton (1778-1863), general, only son of Samuel Colborne of Lyndhurst, Hampshire, was born there on 16 Feb. 1778. He entered the army as an ensign in the 20th regiment o...

Colborn migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Colborn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Edward Colborn, aged 17, settled in New England in 1635

Colborn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ernest Colborn, aged 17, who immigrated to the United States, in 1892
Mrs. William F. Colborn, aged 36, who landed in America, in 1895
W.T. Colborn, aged 45, who landed in America from London, in 1897

Colborn Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Annie Colborn, aged 31, who settled in America from Whittlesea, in 1905
Edwin Colborn, aged 46, who landed in America, in 1909
Isabel Colborn, aged 58, who landed in America, in 1909
Mildred Colborn, aged 27, who immigrated to America, in 1909
Wm. Colborn, aged 68, who settled in America, in 1909
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Colborn (post 1700) +

Theodora Emily Colborn (1927-2014), née Decker, American founder and President Emeritus of The Endocrine Disruption Exchange (TEDX)
James William Colborn (b. 1946), American Major League Baseball player
Thomas Colborn Moser (b. 1923), professor of English at Stanford

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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.