Colbath History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestry of the name Colbath dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived near a cold stream. The surname Colbath is derived from the Old English word ceald, which means cold, and the Old Norse word bekkr, which means stream.

Alternatively the name could have been derived from Caldbeck, a parish, in the union of Wigton, Allerdale ward below Derwent, in Cumberland. "The church bears date 1112, and was founded soon after the establishment of an hospital for travellers, by the prior of Carlisle, with the permission of Ranulph D'Engain, chief forester of Inglewood." 1

Another source claims the name to be Norman from Caudebec or Caldebec, Normandy. William de Caudebec occurs in the Duchy 1180-1195. 2

Early Origins of the Colbath family

The surname Colbath was first found in Cumberland, but early records of the family are very scarce. Alan de Caudebec held lands there in 1214. Thomas de Caldebek was recorded in Yorkshire in 1321 although this may have been confused with Cumberland. 3

Early History of the Colbath family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colbath research. Another 50 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1664, 1680, 1683, 1696, 1716, 1728, 1729, 1748, 1787, 1790, 1798 and 1806 are included under the topic Early Colbath History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colbath Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Colbath have been found, including Colbeck, Caldebeck, Coulbeck, Colebeck, Coldbeck, Caldbeck, Callbeck, Calbeck, Coleback, Coalbeck, Callback, Coallbeck, Colbatch, Collback and many more.

Early Notables of the Colbath family

Distinguished members of the family include John Colbatch (1664-1748), an English divine, admitted to St. Peter's, Westminster, as a scholar in 1680, and proceeded to Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1683. 4Sir John Colbatch (d. 1729), was English physician, a native...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colbath Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Colbath family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Colbath, or a variant listed above: Joshua Colbeck who arrived in Virginia in 1664.

Contemporary Notables of the name Colbath (post 1700) +

Alex Colbath, American mining magnet who founded Silver Reef Consolidated Mining Company in 1916 in what is now a ghost town in Washington County, Utah
Kenneth B. Colbath, American Democratic candidate for Maine in the 1954 and 1956 United States House of Representatives elections
Walter Colbath (1906-1986), American diver who competed in the men's 10 metre platform event at the 1928 Summer Olympics

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print