Cooals History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The origins of the Anglo-Saxon name Cooals come from its first bearer, who was a person with a dark complexion. Further research revealed that the name is derived from the Old English word col, which meant dark.

Early Origins of the Cooals family

The surname Cooals was first found in Somerset or Wiltshire at Cole. The Somerset hamlet is in the parish of Pitcomb, union of Wincanton, hundred of Bruto; while the Wiltshire parish is in the union, and hundred of Malmesbury, Malmesbury and Kingswood. 1

"Essentially south of England names, especially in the south - west, rarely occurring north of a line drawn west from the Wash. Cole is best distributed and has its principal homes in Devon and Wiltshire. Coles is most numerous in Somerset. Both names, strangely enough, are rare in Cornwall. Cole was a very ancient Teutonic name; there are places of the name in Somerset and Wiltshire, a circumstance that may perhaps explain the frequency of both names in Somerset and of Cole in Wiltshire." 2

Much farther to the north in Scotland, the name was "one of the many forms assumed by the name Macdowall." 3

Early History of the Cooals family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Cooals research. Another 43 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1608, 1616, 1617, 1640, 1650, 1659, 1660, 1676, 1680, 1688, 1697, 1773 and 1843 are included under the topic Early Cooals History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Cooals 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. Cooals has been spelled many different ways, including Coles, Coals and others.

Early Notables of the Cooals family

Distinguished members of the family include Elisha Coles (ca 1608-1688), an English lexicographer and stenographer, chorister of Magdalen College, Oxford His nephew Elisha Coles (1640?-1680), was a lexicographer and stenographer, son of John Coles, schoolmaster of Wolverhampton. 4 Gilbert Coles (1617-1676), was an English divine, son of Edmund Coles, priest...
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Cooals Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cooals family to Ireland

Some of the Cooals family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 47 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Cooals family

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 Cooalss to arrive in North America: Robert Coles who settled in Warwick, coming with Winthrop's fleet to Ipswich, Massachusetts in 1630. He was made a freeman in 1631. He was one of the original purchasers of Warwick, and the Providence Plantations in Rhode Island..

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print