Show ContentsCulf History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Scotland
Culf Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Culf

What does the name Culf mean?

An ancient Pictish-Scottish family was the first to use the name Culf. It is a name for someone who lived in the place named Colp in Aberdeenshire.

Early Origins of the Culf family

The surname Culf was first found in Aberdeenshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain), a historic county, and present day Council Area of Aberdeen, located in the Grampian region of northeastern Scotland.

One of the first records of the family was Johannes Coup who was recorded there in Aberdeen in 1408. "A 'commone hande bell, with ale proffetis,' was granted to William Colp and his son, David Colp in the same town in 1503, and a payment was made in 1518 to Sir Andrew Cup, evidently a cleric." 1

Early History of the Culf family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Culf research. Another 160 words (11 lines of text) covering the year 1408 is included under the topic Early Culf History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Culf Spelling Variations

During the Middle Ages, there was no basic set of rules and scribes wrote according to sound. The correct spelling of Scottish names were further compromised after many haphazard translations from Gaelic to English and back. Spelling variations of the name Culf include Culp, Colp, Cup, Cope and others.

Early Notables of the Culf family

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

Culf 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:

Culf Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Culf, aged 35, a carpenter, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1875 2
  • Louisa Culf, aged 30, who arrived in Bluff, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adamant" in 1875 2
  1. 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)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html

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