Show ContentsCatlin History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The earliest origins of the name Catlin date back to the time of the Anglo-Saxons. The name is derived from the Old French names Caterine and Cateline, which were forms of the personal name Catharine. These names were introduced into England in the 12th century and became very popular, especially in the variant forms Catelin and Cateline. Thus the surname Catlin is a metronymic type of surname, and is derived from the name of the original bearer's mother.

Early Origins of the Catlin family

The surname Catlin was first found in Wiltshire. Some of the first records of the family were found her in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 that included early spelling of the name: Geoffrey Gatelin; and Johanna Gatelyn. 1

Richard Jordan Gatling (1818-1903) was the American inventor of his eponymous Gatling gun, considered to be the first successful machine gun that first saw service in 1862. Born on the family plantation in Como, Hertford County, North Carolina, he was a successful inventor by the age of 21 inventing the screw propeller for steamboats. His grandfather William James Gatling (1760-1822), was from Virginia.

Early History of the Catlin family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Catlin research. Another 65 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1545, 1547, 1556, 1559, 1574, 1583, 1625, 1634, 1640, 1644, 1662, 1679, 1685, 1689 and 1702 are included under the topic Early Catlin History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Catlin Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Catlin include Catlin, Catling, Catlyn, Catlyne, Catlyng and others.

Early Notables of the Catlin family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Sir Robert Catlin (died 1574), English jurist, Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench (1559-1574). He was born at Beby in Leicestershire, though his ancestry is said to have belonged to Northamptonshire...
  • Richard Catlyn (by 1520-1556), of Norwich and Honingham, Norfolk and Serjeants' Inn, London, was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Norwich in 1545. Richard Catlin IV (1583-1662), also wr...

Catlin Ranking

In the United States, the name Catlin is the 7,995th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2


United States Catlin migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Catlin or a variant listed above:

Catlin Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Catlin, who landed in Hartford, Connecticut in 1640 3
  • Henry Catlin, who landed in Maryland in 1649 3
  • leane Catlin, who landed in Maryland in 1649 3
  • John Catlin, who arrived in Maryland in 1669 3
Catlin Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A. M. Catlin, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850
  • Francisca Catlin, who arrived in New Spain in 1855 3
  • James Catlin, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1892 3
Catlin Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alic Catlin, aged 22, who immigrated to the United States from London, in 1904
  • Charles Catlin, aged 23, who landed in America from London, England, in 1908
  • Charles Catlin, aged 24, who settled in America from Clapton, England, in 1909
  • Arthur Wilburn Catlin, aged 37, who immigrated to the United States, in 1913
  • Annie Catlin, aged 47, who landed in America from Hadleyh, England, in 1914
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Catlin migration to Australia +

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

Catlin Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Catlin who was convicted in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England for life, transported aboard the "England"on 31st March 1832, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4
  • Mr. Henry Catlin, (b. 1827), aged 16, British shoemaker who was convicted in Bedford, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Asiatic" on 26th May 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1918 5
  • Mr. Allpress Catlin, English farm labourer who was convicted in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, England for 15 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

New Zealand Catlin 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:

Catlin Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • E Catlin, who landed in Akaroa, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Catlin (post 1700) +

  • Kelly Catlin (1995-2019), American multiple gold medalist professional racing cyclist who died at the age of 23
  • Mark Catlin Sr. (1882-1956), American football coach, politician, lawyer
  • George Catlin (1796-1872), American artist
  • Theron Ephron Catlin (1878-1960), American lawyer and politician, U.S. Representative from Missouri
  • Clyde Catlin, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Chautauqua County 1st District, 1931 7
  • Charles W. Catlin, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1896, 1904 7
  • Benjamin Catlin, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Cornwall, 1832-33 7
  • Ashmon H. Catlin (1869-1955), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Ingham County 2nd District, 1911-14; Defeated, 1914, 1940 7
  • Amos P. Catlin, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 9th District, 1857-58 7
  • Albert G. Catlin, American politician, U.S. Consul in Charlottetown, 1858-61 7
  • ... (Another 27 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/england
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/asiatic
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 20) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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