Show ContentsCollinge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the name Collinge begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is 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 Collinge family

The surname Collinge 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 Collinge family

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

Collinge Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Collinge has been recorded under many different variations, including Collins, Collin, Collings, Colling, Collis, Caullins, Caulling, Caullings, Caullis, Colins, Colings, Coliss and many more.

Early Notables of the Collinge 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...

Ireland Migration of the Collinge family to Ireland

Some of the Collinge 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.


United States Collinge migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Collinge or a variant listed above:

Collinge Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Eliz Collinge, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 5

Australia Collinge migration to Australia +

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

Collinge Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Edward Collinge, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

New Zealand Collinge 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:

Collinge Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Collinge, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Northfleet" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand, Via Wellington and Lyttleton in February 1854 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Collinge (post 1700) +

  • John Gregory Collinge (b. 1939), Former president of the New Zealand National Party who served in this role from 1989 to 1994


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. 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)
  3. 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.
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. 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)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  7. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html


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