Colpits History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestry of the name Colpits dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in Newcastle. The name means "at the coal pits," and is found in the area around the great coal mines in Newcastle and the surrounding area in Shropshire. 1 "I have observed this name about Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was probably assumed in the first instance by a person resident near a coal-pit." 2

Early Origins of the Colpits family

The surname Colpits was first found in the historic county of Durham, now part of Tyne and Wear in the Newcastle upon Tyne area. Early records of the family are rare. The first record we found of the name was a marriage record in London of Nicholas Collpotts and Katherine Tatham, (1576-1577.) Braund's Newcastle lists John Colepitts as a hoastman in 1720 (epitaph, St. Nicholas, Newcastle-on-Tyne); and George Colpits, of Killingworth in 1763. 1 Black has no record of the family in Scotland, so one can presume that the family remained in this area. Today Colpitts Grange is a village in Northumberland and Colpitt Lake is a lake near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Early History of the Colpits family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colpits research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1576 is included under the topic Early Colpits History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colpits Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Colpits have been found, including Colpitts, Coldpitts, Colquit, Colquite, Colquitt, Colquits, Collpotts and many more.

Early Notables of the Colpits family

More information is included under the topic Early Colpits Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colpits migration to Canada +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Colpits, or a variant listed above:

Colpits Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Colpits who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1775
Robert Colpits, aged 28, who landed in Fort Cumberland, Nova Scotia in 1775

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.