Colpitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Colpitt

The ancestors of the bearers of the Colpitt family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found near a cold stream. The surname Colpitt 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 Colpitt family

Early History of the Colpitt family

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

Colpitt 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 Colpitt include Colbeck, Caldebeck, Coulbeck, Colebeck, Coldbeck, Caldbeck, Callbeck, Calbeck, Coleback, Coalbeck, Callback, Coallbeck, Colbatch, Collback and many more.

Early Notables of the Colpitt family

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. 4 Sir John Colbatch (d. 1729), was English physician, a native of Worcester, where he practised for...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Colpitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Colpitt family

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 Colpitt or a variant listed above: Joshua Colbeck who arrived in Virginia in 1664.