Colman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The roots of the English name Colman in the northern counties are with the Irish personal name Colmán, which is in turn derived from the word "colm," meaning "dove." St. Columban (c. 540-615) of Ireland was a missionary in Europe, and forms of his name were adopted throughout Europe, where they were later adopted into surnames. It was "ancient Anglo-Saxon personal name mentioned by Bede." 1

It is thought that the Norwegians then brought the name to Cumberland, Westmorland and Yorkshire. In southern England, Colman finds its roots in the Old English workd "col," referring to "coal." In this instance the name was occupational for someone who gathered coal, or burned charcoal.

Early Origins of the Colman family

The surname Colman was first found in Buckinghamshire, where a record from the Pipe Rolls of 1176 show a Colemannus de Eston. 2 The name can also be found in Southern England in the Domesday Book, 3 where it was first listed as a personal name as in Colemannus.

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list the name as a personal name and a surname: Coleman le Hen in Suffolk, 1273; Editha Colman in Oxfordshire; and Martin Coleman in London. Much later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Matilda Colman as residing there and holding lands at that time. 4

Early History of the Colman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colman research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1166, 1551, 1595, 1598, 1615, 1617, 1618, 1621, 1623, 1636, 1647, 1660, 1664, 1669, 1678, 1834, 1836, 1838, 1840, 1847, 1849, 1863, 1890 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Colman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Colman, Coleman, Coalman, Coulman, Colemen, Colmen, Coalmen, Colmin, Colmen, Coulmen, Coulmin, Colemin and many more.

Early Notables of the Colman family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Colman Ranking

In the United States, the name Colman is the 7,345th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Colman family to Ireland

Some of the Colman family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Colman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Colman Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Colman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Colman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Colman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Colman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Colman migration to Australia +

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

Colman Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Colman 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:

Colman Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Colman 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. 12
Colman Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Colman (post 1700) +
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