Show ContentsCatlend History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Catlend came from the Old French names Caterine and Cateline, which were forms of the personal name Catharine. These names were introduced into England in the 12th century and became very popular, especially in the variant forms Catelin and Cateline. Thus the surname Catlend is a metronymic type of surname, and is derived from the name of the original bearer's mother.

Early Origins of the Catlend family

The surname Catlend was first found in Wiltshire. Some of the first records of the family were found her in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 that included early spelling of the name: Geoffrey Gatelin; and Johanna Gatelyn. 1

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Early History of the Catlend family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Catlend research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1545, 1547, 1556, 1559, 1574, 1583, 1625, 1634, 1640, 1644, 1662, 1679, 1685, 1689 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Catlend History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Catlend Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Catlend family name include Catlin, Catling, Catlyn, Catlyne, Catlyng and others.

Early Notables of the Catlend family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Robert Catlin (died 1574), English jurist, Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench (1559-1574). He was born at Beby in Leicestershire, though his ancestry is said to have belonged to Northamptonshire. He was a member of the Middle Temple, and was appointed reader to that society in 1547. 2 Richard Catlyn (by 1520-1556), of Norwich and Honingham, Norfolk and Serjeants' Inn...
Another 67 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Catlend Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Catlend family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Catlend surname or a spelling variation of the name include: William Catline who settled in Barbados in 1679 with his wife and servants; James Catling, who settled in New England in 1769; Michael Catling, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1854.



  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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