Show ContentsCollis History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The history of the Collis name began with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived 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 Collis family

The surname Collis 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 Collis family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Collis 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 Collis History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Collis Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Collis family name include Collins, Collin, Collings, Colling, Collis, Caullins, Caulling, Caullings, Caullis, Colins, Colings, Coliss and many more.

Early Notables of the Collis family

Distinguished members of the family include 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 academic and politician; Abraham Cowley (1618-1667), an English poet born in the City of London; John Collinges (1623-1690), an English Presbyterian theologian, participant in the Savoy Conference, ejected minister, and prolific writer; John Collins (1625-1683), an...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Collis Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Collis Ranking

In the United States, the name Collis is the 11,255th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]

Ireland Migration of the Collis family to Ireland

Some of the Collis 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.


United States Collis migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Collis surname or a spelling variation of the name include :

Collis Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • James Collis, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 [6]
  • Tho Collis, who arrived in Virginia in 1662 [6]
  • William Collis, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 [6]
  • John Collis, who landed in Maryland in 1679 [6]
Collis Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Ambrose Collis, who landed in Virginia in 1700 [6]
  • Thomas Collis, who arrived in Virginia in 1717 [6]
  • Williams Collis, who landed in America in 1760-1763 [6]
Collis Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Raphael Collis, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1858 [6]

Canada Collis migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Collis Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • John Collis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • John Collis, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Judith Collis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • Charles Collis, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • George Collis, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Collis Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mary Ann Collis, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1835

Australia Collis migration to Australia +

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

Collis Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. George Collis, (b. 1771), aged 26, English farmer who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1851 [7]
Collis Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Collis, British Convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [8]
  • William Collis, English convict from Southampton, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on July 3, 1822, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [9]
  • Ann Collis, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [10]
  • Mrs. Hannah Collis, (Stephenson), (b. 1789), aged 48, English needlewoman born in Leatherhead, England who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Atwick" on 28 September 1837, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), she died in 1841 [11]
  • Mr. Charles Collis, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Augusta Jessie" on 10th August 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) [12]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Collis 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:

Collis Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Charles Collis, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • J D Collis, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Charles Collis, aged 30, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
  • Ann Collis, aged 31, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
  • Harriet Collis, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Birman" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Collis (post 1700) +

  • Shannon Collis (b. 1986), American television actress
  • Stephen Philip Collis (b. 1981), English professional football goalkeeper
  • John Collis (b. 1944), British prehistorian
  • James Collis VC (1856-1918), English recipient of the Victoria Cross
  • Susan Collis (b. 1956), British contemporary artist
  • William Robert Fitzgerald Collis (1900-1975), Irish doctor and writer
  • Gordon Collis (b. 1940), former Australian rules footballer
  • Dean Collis (b. 1985), Australian professional rugby league player
  • John Collis Snaith (1876-1936), English first-class cricketer who played for Nottinghamshire in 1900
  • The Hon. Sir William Collis Meredith KT. Q.C., D.C.L. (1812-1894), Irish-born, Canadian Chief Justice of the Superior Court for the Province of Quebec

HMS Hood
  • Mr. Gordon V Collis (b. 1923), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Westhampnett, Sussex, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [13]
RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Edwin Martin Collis, American 2nd Class passenger from Riverside, California, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking [14]


  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. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  9. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1822 with 155 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1822
  10. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
  11. Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atwick
  12. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 23rd August 2020 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/augusta-jessie
  13. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  14. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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