There are two origins for this surname. The first and applying to most English name holders is a derivative patronymic of the Greek-Roman "Nicholas". It is comprised of the elements "Col" plus "in", the latter being a shortened form of the Saxon "kin" to imply "Son of Col". Introduced into England by the Normans after the 1066 Invasion, some eighty derivative spellings are recorded, showing the great popularity of the name Nicholas (translating as - the victory people). The second possibility is as an anglicized form of "Coileain" prefixed by "Mac or O", and found principally in the West of Ireland.
In this case the name translates as "the young hound", the clan being hords of Connello, one of the earliest Irish name holders being Fr. Dominic Collins (1553 - 1602), other recordings include Roger Colynes (1329, Somerset), Agnice Collyns (1561, London), Agnete Collens (1586, Westminster) and Alce Collins (1549, London). The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Collin, which was dated 1221, in the "Kings Rolls of Devonshire", during the reign of King Henry 111, known as "The Frenchman", 1216 - 1272. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.
Discovering the historical roots of collen is deeply interesting, as it takes us back to the ancestors and relatives who established this lineage. The origin, the coat of arms or the different heraldic shields, and the bibliography in which the surname collen is mentioned are part of this exciting investigation.
Although surnames have a specific origin at a certain time and region of the planet, many of them have spread far and wide across the world for various reasons, as is the case with the surname collen. The list of countries with a higher presence of people with the surname collen provides us with a perspective on the history of the surname, beyond its origins, focusing on its migrations.
The historical chronicle of collen is based on a striking series of events that were led by those who have carried this surname throughout history. For those like you, who are interested in the history hidden behind the surname collen, it is essential to find all kinds of information, both direct and tangential, that helps to construct a solid narrative of how the birth and expansion of collen developed.
We suggest that if you want to learn more about the surname collen, try to locate it through the bibliographic sources we suggest. We keep our website updated through our own research and also thanks to contributions from people like you, after verification; so if you have information about collen and send it to us, we will update it on this website.
It's more than likely that there have been some distinguished collens throughout human history. Sadly, not all the contributions of those who bore the surname collen were recorded by the chroniclers of the time. It is our desire to highlight in this section those individuals with the surname collen who, for various reasons, have left their mark on the course of history.
Thanks to a significant bibliographic review, we have so far compiled information on the heraldry, history, and genealogy of collen. The origin, history, coat of arms or different coats of arms, and the heraldry of collen are recorded in a wide variety of sources and documents that are essential to know for better compilation.
These sources are essential for initiating the understanding of collen, and at the same time, of surnames in general.