Contents [hide]

Colley History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Colley History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the name Colley are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from the common diminutive of the popular name Nicholas. Col was a common diminutive of the popular name Nicholas. The form Colley was particularly popular in Yorkshire. Nicholas was the name of a popular saint from the fourth century, and was given to many children in England in the Middle Ages.

Early Origins of the Colley family

The surname Colley was first found in Gloucestershire at Coaley, a village in the union of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley which dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Couelege and was held by King William. 1 The place name literally means "clearing with a hut or shelter," from the Old English "cofa" + "leah." 2

Alternatively, the name could have originated in Yorkshire as by the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, the following were listed: Adam Coly; Agnes Coly; Rogeris Coly; and Willelmus Coiley as all holding lands there at that time. 3

John Colley (fl. 1440), was an early theological writer, "a member of the Carmelite convent at Doncaster. He is said to have been an elegant Latin writer and an eloquent preacher." 4

Early History of the Colley family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colley research. Another 150 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1513, 1554, 1560, 1585, 1621, 1633, 1637, 1648, 1674, 1685, 1695, 1698, 1699, 1700 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Colley History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colley Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Colley has been spelled many different ways, including Colly, Colley, Collie, Caullie, Caulley, Caully, Coully, Coulley and many more.

Early Notables of the Colley family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Colly (c. 1513-1560), of Dover, Kent, an English politician, Member of Parliament for Dover in 1554.Henry Coley (1633-1695?), was a mathematician and...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colley Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colley Ranking

In the United States, the name Colley is the 3,515^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Colley family to Ireland

Some of the Colley family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colley migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Colleys to arrive in North America:

Colley Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Colley and his wife Susan moved to Philadelphia in 1683

Colley Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Silvanus Colley, who landed in Virginia in 1701 6
Jonathan Colley, who landed in Virginia in 1702 6
Michael Colley, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1745 6

Colley Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Colley, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1809 6
William Colley, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1812 6
John Colley, who landed in Mississippi in 1842 6
Dennis Colley, aged 23, who landed in New York in 1854 6
George Colley, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1870 6

Colley migration to Australia +

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

Colley Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Colley, English convict from Berkshire, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Alexander Colley, (Richard), (b. 1771), aged 44, English gardener who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fanny" on 25th August 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Mr. Hugh Colley, (Collie), (b. 1769), aged 50, Irish soldier who was convicted in London, England for life for pick pocketing, transported aboard the "Canada" on 23rd April 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. William Colley, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for house breaking, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. George Colley, English convict who was convicted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 27th May 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Colley 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:

Colley Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Miss Colley, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Roman Emperor" arriving in Lyttlelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 30th March 1863 12

Colley 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. 13

Colley Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Colley and his family who settled in Barbados in 1680

Contemporary Notables of the name Colley (post 1700) +

Chad Colley (1944-2021), born Ralph C. Colley Jr, an American two-time gold medalist para-alpine skier, army officer and advocate for disabled Americans
Don Pedro Colley (1938-2017), American actor, perhaps best known for his role as Sheriff Little in the 1980s TV series The Dukes of Hazzard
Scott Colley (b. 1963), American jazz double bassist and composer
Sarah Ophelia Colley (1912-1996), birth name of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, better known as Minnie Pearl, an American country comedian who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991
Samuel Gerish Colley (1807-1890), American farmer, sheriff, politician
Randy Colley (b. 1950), American retired professional wrestler, known by his ring name Moondog Rex
Vice Admiral Michael C. Colley USN (1938-2013), United States Navy officer
Kevin Colley (b. 1979), retired American NHL ice hockey right winger who played from 1999 to 2006, awarded the Bob Nystrom Award in 2006
John Edward Colley (b. 1948), birth name of John Ford Coley, an American singer, pianist, guitarist and actor, member of the duo England Dan & John Ford Coley
Russell Colley (1899-1996), American designer of the spacesuits worn by the Mercury astronauts
... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Colley family +

Prince of Wales colliery

Mr. John Colley (b. 1826), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14
Mr. William Colley (b. 1862), Welsh coal miner who was working at the Prince of Wales Colliery in Abercarn, Wales on the 11th September 1878 when there was a coal mine explosion; he died 14

RMS Titanic

Mr. Edward Pomeroy Colley (d. 1912), aged 37, Irish First Class passenger from Dublin, Ireland who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 15

Senghenydd colliery

Mr. James Colley (b. 1868), Welsh coal miner from Bargoed, Caerphilly, Wales who was working at the Senghenydd colliery when there was an explosion on the 14th October 1913; he died

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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/
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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Entombed in flood and flame (retrieved 3rd August 2021). Retrieved from https://web.archive.org/web/20120603025705/http://www.crosskeys.me.uk/history/prince.htm
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html