| ![Show Contents]() Coultar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
Etymology of CoultarWhat does the name Coultar mean? The ancestors of the Coultar surname are thought to have lived in the ancient Scottish kingdom of Dalriada. The name Coultar was given to someone who lived in or near Coulter in Lanarkshire or Aberdeenshire, in Scotland. The surname Coultar is derived from the Gaelic phrase, cúl tir, which means, black land. Coultar is therefore a local surname, of which there are many types. For instance, topographic surnames could be given to a person who lived beside any physical feature, such as a hill, stream, church or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. In this case, the surname is both topographical, in that it comes from the phrase, black land, and local in the general sense, since it comes from the place-name, Coulter. Early Origins of the Coultar familyThe surname Coultar was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat from very early times. Some of the first records include: Richard of Culter, sheriff of Lanark, appears in record in 1226; and Alexander de Cultre witnessed a grant by Maldoueny, earl of Lennox to Stephen de Blantyr, c. 1248. "Andrew de Cultyr who held land in Aberdeen in 1281 doubtless derived his name from the lands of Coulter in Aberdeenshire." 1 Early History of the Coultar familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coultar research. Another 108 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1226, 1281, 1686, 1810 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Coultar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Coultar Spelling VariationsThe translation of Gaelic names in the Middle Ages was not a task undertaken with great care. Records from that era show an enormous number of spelling variations, even in names referring to the same person. Over the years Coultar has appeared as Coulter, Colter, Coalter, Coultere, Coultar, Coultur, Coltar, Coltur, Coltir, Coltire and many more. Early Notables of the Coultar familyMore information is included under the topic Early Coultar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Coultar family to IrelandSome of the Coultar family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 76 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Coultar familySignificant portions of the populations of both the United States and Canada are still made up of the ancestors of Dalriadan families. Some of those in Canada originally settled the United States, but went north as United Empire Loyalists in the American War of Independence. The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw the ancestors of many Scots on both sides of the border begin to recover their collective national heritage through Clan societies and highland games. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants: John Colters settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1764; Hugh and Ann Coulter settled in New York State in 1811; Charles, David, Edward, Hugh, James, John, Joseph, Margaret, Robert, Thomas, and William Coulter, all settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1821 and 1880.
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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