Colquitt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Colquitt family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Newcastle. The name means "at the coal pits," and is found in the area around the great coal mines in Newcastle and the surrounding area in Shropshire. 1 "I have observed this name about Newcastle-upon-Tyne. It was probably assumed in the first instance by a person resident near a coal-pit." 2

Early Origins of the Colquitt family

The surname Colquitt was first found in the historic county of Durham, now part of Tyne and Wear in the Newcastle upon Tyne area. Early records of the family are rare. The first record we found of the name was a marriage record in London of Nicholas Collpotts and Katherine Tatham, (1576-1577.) Braund's Newcastle lists John Colepitts as a hoastman in 1720 (epitaph, St. Nicholas, Newcastle-on-Tyne); and George Colpits, of Killingworth in 1763. 1 Black has no record of the family in Scotland, so one can presume that the family remained in this area. Today Colpitts Grange is a village in Northumberland and Colpitt Lake is a lake near Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Early History of the Colquitt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colquitt research. Another 24 words (2 lines of text) covering the year 1576 is included under the topic Early Colquitt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colquitt 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 Colquitt include Colpitts, Coldpitts, Colquit, Colquite, Colquitt, Colquits, Collpotts and many more.

Early Notables of the Colquitt family

More information is included under the topic Early Colquitt Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colquitt Ranking

In the United States, the name Colquitt is the 7,689^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Colquitt 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 Colquitt or a variant listed above:

Colquitt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Nancy J. Colquitt, aged 19, who arrived in America in 1894

Colquitt Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Joseph Colquitt, aged 26, who arrived in America from Golbom, Lancashire, England, in 1911
William Stanley Ore Colquitt, aged 24, who arrived in America from Douglas, Isle of Man, in 1911
Harry Colquitt, aged 25, who arrived in America, in 1918
William Colquitt, aged 26, who arrived in America from Whitehaven, England, in 1920

Contemporary Notables of the name Colquitt (post 1700) +

Peyton H. Colquitt (1831-1863), American Confederate Officer killed at the Battle of Chickamauga
Betsy Colquitt (b. 1927), American poet
Joseph Craig Colquitt (b. 1954), retired American NFL football punter
Oscar Branch Colquitt (1861-1940), American politician, 25th Governor of Texas (1911 to 1915)
Jerry Colquitt (b. 1972), retired American NFL football player and coach
Walter Terry Colquitt (1799-1855), American lawyer, circuit-riding Methodist preacher, United States Representative and Senator from Georgia
Dustin Farr Colquitt (b. 1982), American NFL football punter
Britton Colquitt (b. 1985), American NFL football punter
Alfred Holt Colquitt (1824-1894), American lawyer, preacher, soldier, 49th Governor of Georgia

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/