Colbrent History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Colbrent is tied to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of England. It comes from the Old Norse personal name Kolbrandr and the Old Swedish forename Kolbrand. The names Colbrand and Colebran appeared in the Domesday Book survey of 1086. 1 Many Scandinavian personal names were left in the British Isles as a legacy of the Viking raids which plagued the coastal regions of Britain from the 8th to 10th centuries, and many of these eventually became Anglo-Saxon surnames.

Early Origins of the Colbrent family

The surname Colbrent was first found in Sussex where the family held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Colbrand (Colbron) was a legendary giant from English folklore. Some sources claim he was a Viking giant. According to legend, Guy of Warwick defeated him to prove his love for Lady Felice. The legend dates back to at least the 13th century and was even popular into Shakespearean times when he mentions Colbrand in Henry VIII and King John.

By the 18th century, Colbrand became a nickname for someone of considerable size or strength.

Colban, Earl of Fife ( c. 1247-1270) was ruler of Fife in Scotland. He was the son of Earl Malcolm and his wife Elen ferch Llywelyn and succeeded his father while still a teenager on Malcolm's death in 1266.

Early History of the Colbrent family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colbrent research. Another 85 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1571, 1572, 1597, 1600, 1627, 1640, 1664, 1667, 1785, 1806 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Colbrent History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colbrent Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Colbrent has undergone many spelling variations, including Colbrond, Colbron, Colbrand, Colbran and others.

Early Notables of the Colbrent family

Notables of this surname at this time include: James Colbrand (c. 1544-1600), of Chichester, Sussex, an English politician, Member of the Parliament for Ludgershall in 1571 and 1572 and for Appleby 1597. Continuing the line was Sir John...
Another 38 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colbrent Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Colbrent family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Colbrent were among those contributors: William and his wife Marjorie Colbron who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print