Show ContentsColleart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Colleart was spawned by the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture that ruled a majority of Britain. It comes from the given name Nicholas. A common diminutive of the name Nicholas was Col. The suffix "ard" was a Norman French suffix that meant "son of." 1

Another source notes that the name could have been derived "from the Anglo-Saxon col, [meaning] a helmet, and heard, hard." 2

And yet another source claims the name could be Norman in origin deriving from Hamon, William, and Geoffry Coillart of Normandy, 1180-95 . 3 Of this latter source, it seems unlikely.

Early Origins of the Colleart family

The surname Colleart was first found in Essex and Sussex where they held a family seat from very early times.

"The Collards of Kent may find an ancestor in Simon Colard, who represented Dover in Parliament in the reign of Edward III. Christopher Collard was rector of Blackmanstone in the time of Charles I." 4

The name was "found in Gloucestershire as a personal name, it still remains there as a surname" as shown by the first record of the family, Colard Hariel, Gloucestershire who was listed there in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 5

Listings of the name as a personal name continued in the 13th century where Colard le Fauconer was listed in Essex in 1264. It was not until 1332 when Richard Colard was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332 did records show the name as a surname. 1

Early History of the Colleart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colleart research. Another 187 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1264, 1595, 1666, 1769, 1772, 1786, 1799, 1800, 1807, 1817, 1831, 1842, 1851 and 1860 are included under the topic Early Colleart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colleart Spelling Variations

Colleart has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Colleart have been found, including Callard, Collard, Collarde, Colard, Colarde, Cullard, Collart, Collerd and many more.

Early Notables of the Colleart family

Notables of the family at this time include Frederick Willam Collard (1772-1860), English pianoforte manufacturer, son of William and Thamosin Collard, baptised at Wiveliscombe, Somersetshire, on 21 June 1772. He ventured to "London at the age of fourteen, obtained a situation in the house of Longman, Lukey, & Broderip, music publishers and pianoforte makers at 26 Cheapside. In 1799 Longman & Co. fell into commercial difficulties, and a new company, consisting of John Longman, Muzio Clementi, Frederick Augustus Hyde, F. W. Collard, Josiah Banger, and David Davis, took over the business, but on 28 June 1800 Longman and Hyde retired, and...
Another 148 words (11 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colleart Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Colleart family

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Collearts to arrive on North American shores: Mary Collard who settled in Barbados in 1686; Stephen Collard settled in Maryland in 1737; Thomas Collard settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1822.



  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)


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