Show ContentsColden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Colden

What does the name Colden mean?

The ancient Anglo-Saxon surname Colden came from the son of Goldwin. In Old English, patronyms were formed by adding a variety of suffixes to personal names, which changed over time and from place to place. For example, after the Norman Conquest, sunu and sune, which meant son, were the most common patronymic suffixes. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the most common patronymic names included the word filius, which meant son. By the 14th century, the suffix son had replaced these earlier versions. Surnames that were formed with filius or son were more common in the north of England and it was here that the number of individuals without surnames was greatest at this time.

Early Origins of the Colden family

The surname Colden was first found in Oxfordshire where the first two records of the family appear in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273: Nicholas Goldin, Oxfordshire; and Thomas Goldine, Oxfordshire. The same rolls included Golding Palmarius, Kent; Hilde Golden, Cambridgeshire; and Hugo Golding, Suffolk. 1

In Hampshire, Walter Guldene, le Gelden was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for 1212 and later in Cambridgeshire, Hilde Golden was registered in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1279. 2

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Willelmus Goldyng; Robertus Goldyng, pelliparius; and Isabella Goldyng, Howdenshire. 1

Changes between the different suffixes were common as "the family of Golden, Broad Chalke, Wiltshire, are entered Golding in 1563; Goulden, 1707; and Golden, 1672." 1

Up in Scotland one of the family achieved notoriety of a different sort: "The rashness of a Scots soldier, Ralph Golding, at the bridge of Rokesburgh in 1333 led to Sir Andrew Moray of Bothwell, the Regent, being taken prisoner by the English." 3

Early History of the Colden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colden research. Another 68 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1559, 1688 and 1776 are included under the topic Early Colden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colden Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Colden has been recorded under many different variations, including Golden, Goldin, Goulden, Gouldin, Goulton and many more.

Early Notables of the Colden family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Cadwallader Colden (1688-1776), Scottish botanist, author, and Lieutenant-Governor of New York, son of the Rev...

Migration of the Colden family to Ireland

Some of the Colden family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 64 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Colden migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Colden or a variant listed above:

Colden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Cadwallader Colden, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1710 4
  • William Colden, who landed in New York in 1720 4
Colden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Colden, who arrived in New York in 1813 4

Colden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Colden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Capt. Thomas Colden U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1783; he served in the New Jersey Volunteers 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Colden (post 1700) +

  • Cadwallader Colden Washburn (1818-1882), American businessman, politician, and soldier, 11th Governor of Wisconsin (1872-1874)
  • Colden Rainey "Cole" Swindell (b. 1983), American country singer and songwriter


  1. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. 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)
  4. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X


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