Show ContentsColte History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The tale of the name Colte begins with a family who lived in the barony of Colt or Cult in Perthshire.

Early Origins of the Colte family

The surname Colte was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland.

One of the first records of the family was William Culte de Strathawen, Lanarkshire, who took the oath of fealty, 1296. Years later, John Colti held land in barony of Lastalryk before 1365 and Thomas Colt is mentioned in Perth, 1440. 1

Another source notes "the Colts of co. Lanark derive from Blaise Coult, a French Huguenot refugee in the XVI. century." 2

Further to the south in Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Ricardua Colte; and Thomas Colt. And much further south, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Reginald le Colt, Salop (Shropshire); William le Colt, Wiltshire; and Ranulph Colt, Norfolk. 3

Early History of the Colte family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colte research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1440, 1600, 1604, 1606, 1618 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Colte History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colte Spelling Variations

Before the first dictionaries appeared in the last few hundred years, scribes spelled according to sound. spelling variations are common among Scottish names. Colte has been spelled Coult, Colt, Cult, Culte, Colte, Coulte and others.

Early Notables of the Colte family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was Sir Robert Coult of Garthsherrie; and Samuel Colt of Hartford Conn. who invented the revolver in 1835. Maximilian Colt or Coult (fl. 1600-1618), was a sculptor, born at Arras in Flanders, and settled in England at the...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colte Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Colte migration to the United States +

In those unstable times, many had no choice but to leave their beloved homelands. Sickness and poverty hounded travelers to North America, but those who made it were welcomed with land and opportunity. These settlers gave the young nations of Canada and the United States a strong backbone as they stood up for their beliefs as United Empire Loyalists and in the American War of Independence. In this century, the ancestors of these brave Scots have begun to recover their illustrious heritage through Clan societies and other heritage organizations. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Scottish settlers bearing the name Colte:

Colte Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Godfrey Colte, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1753
  • Joh Godfrey Colte, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 4


The Colte Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Transfigam
Motto Translation: I will transfix.


  1. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook