Show ContentsCollins History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Collins Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Collins

What does the name Collins mean?

The name Collins is from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of the Britain and comes from the personal name Nicholas. A common diminutive of the name Nicholas was Colin. 1

Saint Collen was a 7th-century monk who gave his name to Llangollen, Denbighshire which translates from the Welsh as "church of the hazel-wood."

Early Origins of the Collins family

The surname Collins was first found in various counties throughout old Britain. By example, the Hundreorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Colince or Colunce as holding lands at Chadlington, Oxford, and Hugh de Culunce had custody of Pont Orson temp. King John, c. 1200. Ernis de Coulonces married a daughter of William de Warrenne, Earl of Surrey, temp. Henry I. and Hugh de Colonches in 1165, held a barony of four fees. Adam de Coulnce paid a fine to the King in Oxfordshire 1203, and Hugh de Coulnce confirmed lands to Mottisfont Priory 2

We must look to Somerset to view an early entry for an early phonetic match to the more popular spellings of today. For it is there that John Colyngs was listed as holding lands, 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III.) 3

Down in Cornwall, the Halset manor in Lesnewth, "belonged to the family of Colyn but in the reign of James I. it was the property of Thomas Southcott, Esq. and Mr. Humphrey Brown." 4

Again in Cornwall, "the manor of Luxulian was in the family of Collins in the reign of Elizabeth, after which it became the property of the Kendalls." 4

Early History of the Collins family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Collins research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1500, 1576, 1618, 1623, 1624, 1625, 1651, 1653, 1660, 1667, 1683, 1690, 1697, 1705, 1711 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Collins History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Collins 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. Collins has been spelled many different ways, including Collins, Collin, Collings, Colling, Collis, Caullins, Caulling, Caullings, Caullis, Colins, Colings, Coliss and many more.

Early Notables of the Collins family

  • Samuel Collins (1576-1651), an English clergyman and academic, Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge and Provost of King's College, Cambridge; and his son, John Collins (1624-1711), an English aca...

Collins World Ranking

In Australia, the name Collins is the 51st most popular surname with an estimated 38,969 people with that name. 5 However, in New Zealand, the name Collins is ranked the 72nd most popular surname with an estimated 4,731 people with that name. 6 And in the United Kingdom, the name Collins is the 63rd popular surname with an estimated 71,214 people with that name. 7 Canada ranks Collins as 123rd with 25,134 people. 8 Quebec, Canada ranks Collins as 940th. 9 Newfoundland, Canada ranks Collins as 26th with 706 people. 10 The United States ranks Collins as 50th with 333,258 people. 11 France ranks Collins as 7,435th with 1,000 - 1,500 people. 12 South Africa ranks Collins as 890th with 7,808 people. 13

Migration of the Collins family to Ireland

Some of the Collins family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Collins migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet, Second Fleet and Third Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Mr. William Collins, (d. 1796), British settler convicted in Gloucestershire, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing a purse, transported aboard the ship "Neptune, Scarborough or Surprize" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 14
  • Mr. Daniel Collins, (b. 1770), aged 19, Irish settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1786, sentenced to Life for highway robbery, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790, given absolute pardon in 1800 15
  • Mr. John Collins, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 15
  • Mr. Thomas Collins, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to Life for theft, transported aboard the ship "Neptune, Scarborough or Surprize" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 15
  • Mr. Thomas Collins, (1766 - 1820), aged 23, British settler convicted in London, England in 1788, sentenced to Life for theft, transported aboard the ship "Scarborough" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 15
Second Fleet
  • Mr. Edward Collins, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing a horse, transported aboard the ship "Albermarle" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
  • Mr. John Collins, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1790, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Albermarle" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791, his wife and child travelled with him 15
  • Miss Mary Collins, (1767 - 1794), aged 23, British settler convicted in Middlesex, England in 1789, sentenced to 7 years for stealing a handkerchief, transported aboard the ship "Mary Ann" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
  • Mr. Richard Collins, British settler convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England in 1790, sentenced to 5 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Collins, (d. 1795), British convicts wife, transported aboard the ship "Admiral Barrington" leaving in 1790 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1791 15
Third Fleet
  • Mr. David Collins, (1756 - 1810), British Captain of Marines and Judge Advocate on the Navy support ship for the First Fleet the "HMS Sirius" leaving in 1787 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1788
Following the First, Second and Third Fleets, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Collins Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. William Collins, (b. 1778), aged 19, English butcher who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia he died in 1801 15
Collins Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Collins, Irish convict who was convicted in Dundalk, Ireland for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 29th November 1801, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
  • Dennis Collins, English convict from Kent, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 17
  • Mrs. Anne Collins, (b. 1778), aged 31, Irish convict who was convicted in Armagh, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Experiment" on 21st January 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 18
  • Mr. Richard Collins, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
  • Mr. William Collins, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Fame" on 9th October 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died on board in 1817 19
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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
  • James Collins, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • John Power Collins, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • R Collins, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Clifton
  • Edward Collins, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Catherine Stewart Forbes" in 1841
  • Mr. James Collins, (b. 1809), aged 31, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Slains Castle" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 25th January 1841 20
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Collins (post 1700) +

  • Michael Collins (1890-1922), Irish nationalist and Sinn Fein leader who helped negotiate the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1921
  • Dominic Collins (b. 1977), Australian Paralympic swimmer
  • Daryl Collins (b. 1956), Australian rules footballer
  • Darren Collins (b. 1969), Australian Paralympic athlete, bronze medal winner at the 1992 Paralympic Games
  • Darren Collins (b. 1967), Australian rules footballer
  • Daniel James "Danny" Collins (b. 1970), Australian sprint canoeist who competed in four Summer Olympics
  • Charles Collins (1850-1898), Australian politician and merchant
  • Robert Lindsay Collins AO (1946-2007), Australian politician
  • Bob Collins (1934-2018), Australian rules footballer
  • ... (Another 119 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Capt. Thomas James Collins (1934-1979), New Zealander Captain, from Auckland, New Zealand working aboard the Air New Zealand sightseeing Flight 901 when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 21
  • Mr. Martin John Collins (d. 1979), New Zealander Purser, from Auckland, New Zealand working aboard the Air New Zealand sightseeing Flight 901 when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 22
  • Thomas Collins (b. 1823), British passenger who died aboard the ship "Cataraqui" when sailing for Melbourne, Australia she struck rocks of Kings Island and sank on 4th April 1845
  • Hilton Stuart Collins (1909-1943), Australian Corporal who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
  • Leo Francis Collins (1923-1943), Australian Private who died aboard the ship "Centaur" an Australian hospital ship when torpedoed on 14th May 1943
  • ... (Another 26 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Suggested Readings for the name Collins +

  • Collins Ancestry by Mabel Thacher Rosemary Washburn.
  • The Collins and Travis Families and Their Allies by Mary Collins Landin.
  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  3. Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
  4. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  5. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  6. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  7. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  8. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  9. "The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
  10. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  11. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  12. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  13. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  14. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
  17. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd June 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/experiment
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
  20. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  21. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx

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