Colvile Surname

2,312,869th
Most Common
surname in the World

Approximately 68 people bear this surname

Most prevalent in:
England
Highest density in:
England

Colvile Surname Definition:

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Colville." Lower says,' There are three places in Normandy called Colleville From which of these came William de Colvile of Yorkshire, and Gilbert de Collavilla of Suffolk, mentioned in Domesday, is not yet ascertained' (Patr.

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Colvile Surname Distribution Map

PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England531:1,051,28451,324
Australia61:4,499,284146,780
United States51:72,491,7871,102,614
Northern Ireland11:1,845,03620,648
Hong Kong11:7,335,48316,643
Singapore11:5,507,70347,049
Wales11:3,094,53244,023
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
Ireland11:4,429,86640,727
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
England391:625,00931,098
Scotland311:120,7495,564
PlaceIncidenceFrequencyRank in Area
United States11:50,218,684817,899

Colvile Surname Meaning

From Where Does The Surname Originate? meaning and history

This surname is derived from a geographical locality. 'of Colville." Lower says,' There are three places in Normandy called Colleville From which of these came William de Colvile of Yorkshire, and Gilbert de Collavilla of Suffolk, mentioned in Domesday, is not yet ascertained' (Patr. Brit). With Colwell and Colwill, compare Boswell for Bosville. There is a township named Colwell in the parish of Chollerton, Northumberland But the above is the more probable origin.

Roger de Colevil, Norfolk, 1273. Hundred Rolls.

Walter de Colevile, Lincolnshire ibid.

Philip de Colevill, Lincolnshire, ibid.

Roger de Colewell, Gloucestershire, ibid.

John de Colvele, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Philip de Colwil, Cambridgeshire, ibid.

Johannes Colvill, et Magota uxor ejus, jailhur, 1379: Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Peter Colewille, Somerset, 1 Edward III: Kirby's Quest.

John Colwelle, Somerset, 1 Edward III: ibid.

1642. John Colwell and Mary Chancy: Marriage Lic. (London).

1739. Married — John Edwards and Hannah Colvill: St. Michael, Cornhill.

A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (1896) by Charles Wareing Endell Bardsley

Although there are more than one place named Colleville (= Col's vill or farm) in Normandy the surname is probably from Coleville, a town between Caen and Bayeux in Normandy. The first of the name recorded in Scotland is Philip de Coleuille who witnessed a general confirmation by Malcolm IV of all the donations by his predecessors to the monastery of Dunfermline in or before 1159 (RD, 35), and other charters by Malcolm and William the Lion (APS., I, p. 364; REG, 15), etc. He possessed the baronies of Oxnam and Heiton in Roxburghshire (OPS, I, p. 389), and was a hostage for William the Lion under the treaty of Falaise in 1174 (Bain, I, 139). Thomas de Colevill appears in a perambulation of the marches of Elstanesnalche, 1181 (Melros, p. 111), and is a witness in a number of documents in the last decade of the twelfth century. In a charter of c. 1200 where he styles himself "Thomas de Colevilla cognomento Scot" he grants the land of Kerseban on the Doon to the Abbey of Vaudey in Lincolnshire (Melros, p. 172—173) The seal appended to the charter of Kerseban to the Abbey of Melrose, c. 1223, contains a classic head and the inscription Thome de Collevilla Scatti (Seals, 190). Thomas de Colouilla was charged with treason in 1211 (Coliron. Mail., s.a.). Ada de Coleuyll gave the lands of Kynnard in Fife to the Abbey and monks of Neubotle in 1241 (Neubotle, p. 169). Thomas de Coleville of Dumfriesshire rendered homage, 1296 (Bain, II, 810), Robert de Collevyll was lord of Oxenham c. 1330 (Kelso, p. 369—370), and Robert de Colvylle of Scotland for his courage and steady obedience to England was granted an annuity of 20 marks from the customs of Kingston on Hulle, 1358 (Bain, IV, 24). Mr. William Colveil, brother to the laird of Cleish, was admitted burgess of Glasgow, 1630 (Burgesses). Coilwill 16c, Colluyne 1503, Collwell 1541, Coluil 1655, Coluile 1503, Coluill 1512, Colvele 1484, Coivyle 1388, Coivy11 1432, Colweill and Colwell 1542, Colwill 1583, Colwyng 1546.

The Surnames of Scotland (1946) by George Fraser Black (1866-1948)

(French) belonging to Colville or Colle- ville (Normandy) = Col’s Estate or Farmstead [Latin villa] This name appears in copies of the Roll of Battle Abbey as Colvile.

Surnames of the United Kingdom (1912) by Henry Harrison

There are three places in Normandy called Colleville, situated in the respective neighbourhoods of Caen, Bayeux, and Yvetot. From which of these came William de Colvile of Yorkshire, and Gilbert de Colavilla of Suffolk, mentioned in Domesd., is not ascertained. The Scottish peer descends from Philip de C., a scion of the Anglo-Norman family who settled beyond the border in the XII. cent. Colevil, Colevile, Coleville, Colwile, Colewille. H.R.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

A corruption of Colville. H.R.

Patronymica Britannica (1860) by Mark Antony Lower

The town in the defile-from col, a defile, and ville, a town. Gilbert de Colavilla or Colvyle was a commander in the army of William the Conqueror; his descendant Philip de Colvill, temp. William the Lion, was the founder of the Scottish branch of the family.

The Origin and Signification of Scottish Surnames (1862) by Clifford Stanley Sims (1839-1896)

(French.) Local. From Col, a neck, strait, or defile; a pass between hills; and ville, a town, the place in the gorge or pass of the dell.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

The village on the neck of the hill, or near the hazel—wood; Col, Gaelic, hazel; and ville, a village, changed into well. Coldwell denotes the quality of the water, a cold spring; Colwold, the hazel—wild, or bushy place of hazels.

An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names (1857) by William Arthur

A Norman name: From the Domesday Book, de Colevil. Colleville; a local name

British Family Names (1894) by Henry Barber

Colvile Last Name Facts

Where Does The Last Name Colvile Come From? nationality or country of origin

The last name Colvile is carried by more people in England than any other country or territory. It may also appear in the variant forms:. Click here to see other potential spellings of this name.

How Common Is The Last Name Colvile? popularity and diffusion

The surname is the 2,312,869th most widespread surname on a worldwide basis, borne by approximately 1 in 107,169,793 people. The last name occurs mostly in Europe, where 81 percent of Colvile live; 81 percent live in Northern Europe and 81 percent live in British Isles.

Colvile is most widespread in England, where it is held by 53 people, or 1 in 1,051,284. In England it is most numerous in: Kent, where 23 percent are found, Devon, where 15 percent are found and Oxfordshire, where 15 percent are found. Beside England Colvile exists in 6 countries. It is also common in Australia, where 9 percent are found and The United States, where 7 percent are found.

Colvile Family Population Trend historical fluctuation

The occurrence of Colvile has changed over time. In England the number of people bearing the Colvile surname expanded 136 percent between 1881 and 2014 and in The United States it expanded 500 percent between 1880 and 2014.

Colvile Last Name Statistics demography

The religious adherence of those holding the last name is primarily Presbyterian (100%) in Ireland.

Phonetically Similar Names

SurnameSimilarityWorldwide IncidencePrevalency
Colville935,665/
Collvile930/
Colvilie930/
Colvil92216/
Collville886/
Scolville881/
Colvill86449/
Solvile860/
Colvelle8060/
Calville806/
Coluille806/
Colvilla802/
Solville801/
Calviler800/
Calvil77107/
Colvel7720/
Caulville752/
Cholvilai752/
Joilville751/
Callville751/
Kolvale71897/
Colvell71142/
Calwile7189/
Calvill716/
Kolvele711/
Kolvule711/
Kolbile711/
Colwily710/
Collvel710/
Calveley67364/
Calvilla6736/
Calvelhe6726/
Kolvilai674/
Calvelle673/
Colvelli672/
Coolwleh671/
Caulvill671/
Callwile671/
Collvell670/
Calwiles670/
Colwelle670/

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Colvile Reference & Research

Colvin DNA Website - A web page dedicated to the genetic research of those who bear the surname and its variants.

Colvin FamilyTree DNA Project - A description of a group researching the paternal lines of men who bear the surname with the help of DNA analysis.

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Footnotes

  • Surnames are taken as the first part of an person's inherited family name, caste, clan name or in some cases patronymic
  • Descriptions may contain details on the name's etymology, origin, ethnicity and history. They are largely reproduced from 3rd party sources; diligence is advised on accepting their validity - more information
  • Name distribution statistics are generated from a global database of over 4 billion people - more information
  • Heatmap: Dark red means there is a higher occurrence of the name, transitioning to light yellow signifies a progressively lower occurrence. Clicking on selected countries will show mapping at a regional level
  • Rank: Name are ranked by incidence using the ordinal ranking method; the name that occurs the most is assigned a rank of 1; name that occur less frequently receive an incremented rank; if two or more name occur the same number of times they are assigned the same rank and successive rank is incremented by the total preceeding names
  • Ethnic group cannot necessarily be determined by geographic occurrence
  • Similar: Names listed in the "Similar" section are phonetically similar and may not have any relation to Colvile
  • To find out more about this surname's family history, lookup records on Family​Search, My​Heritage, FindMyPast and Ancestry. Further information may be obtained by DNA analysis