Collins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


Although Collins is a common English name, Collins is also an indigenous Irish name, derived from the Irish Gaelic "O'Coileain."

Early Origins of the Collins family

The surname Collins was first found in North Desmond the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, later part of County Limerick, where they were lords of the baronies of Connello and lords of Eighter Conghalach (Lower Connello). By the 13th century, they had moved south and settled in West Cork, having been driven out of their original territories by the Geraldines.

Early History of the Collins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Collins research. Another 31 words (2 lines of text) covering the years 1553, 1602, 1754 and 1817 are included under the topic Early Collins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Collins Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Collins, Colins, O'Cullane, Cullane and others.

Early Notables of the Collins family

Notable amongst the family name at this time was

Collins World Ranking

In the United States, the name Collins is the 50th most popular surname with an estimated 333,258 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Collins is ranked the 123rd most popular surname with an estimated 25,134 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Collins is the 940th popular surname. 3 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Collins as 26th with 706 people. 4 France ranks Collins as 7,435th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 5 Australia ranks Collins as 51st with 38,969 people. 6 New Zealand ranks Collins as 72nd with 4,731 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Collins as 63rd with 71,214 people. 8 South Africa ranks Collins as 890th with 7,808 people. 9


Collins migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Collins Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Collins Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Collins Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Collins Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Collins migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Collins Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Collins Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Collins migration to Australia +

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

Collins Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Collins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Collins 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:

Collins Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Collins 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. 18
Collins Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
Collins Settlers in West Indies in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Collins (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Collins +
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