Colt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
England

Etymology of Colt

What does the name Colt mean?

The ancient Pictish-Scottish family that first used the name Colt lived in the barony of Colt or Cult in Perthshire.

Early Origins of the Colt family

The surname Colt was first found in Perthshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Pheairt) former county in the present day Council Area of Perth and Kinross, located in central Scotland.

One of the first records of the family was William Culte de Strathawen, Lanarkshire, who took the oath of fealty, 1296. Years later, John Colti held land in barony of Lastalryk before 1365 and Thomas Colt is mentioned in Perth, 1440. 1

Another source notes "the Colts of co. Lanark derive from Blaise Coult, a French Huguenot refugee in the XVI. century." 2

Further to the south in Yorkshire, the Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Ricardua Colte; and Thomas Colt. And much further south, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Reginald le Colt, Salop (Shropshire); William le Colt, Wiltshire; and Ranulph Colt, Norfolk. 3

Early History of the Colt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Colt research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1440, 1600, 1604, 1606, 1618 and 1835 are included under the topic Early Colt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Colt Spelling Variations

The arts of spelling and translation were yet in their infancies when surnames began, so there are an enormous number of spelling variations of the names in early Scottish records. This is a particular problem with Scottish names because of the numerous times a name might have been loosely translated to English from Gaelic and back. Colt has been spelled Coult, Colt, Cult, Culte, Colte, Coulte and others.

Early Notables of the Colt family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Sir Robert Coult of Garthsherrie; and Samuel Colt of Hartford Conn. who invented the revolver in 1835
Maximilian Colt or Coult (fl. 1600-1618), was a sculptor, born at Arras in Flanders, and settled in England at the close of Elizabeth's reign. "On 4 March 1604-5 he signed an agreement with the lord t...

Colt migration to the United States +

This oppression forced many Scots to leave their homelands. Most of these chose North America as their destination. Although the journey left many sick and poor, these immigrants were welcomed the hardy with great opportunity. Many of these settlers stood up for their newfound freedom in the American War of Independence. More recently, Scots abroad have recovered much of their collective heritage through highland games and other patriotic functions and groups. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has located various settlers bearing the name Colt:

Colt Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Colt, who arrived in Dorchester, Massachusetts in 1625 4
John Colt, who settled in Massachusetts in 1633
William Colt, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1648 4
Ellinor Colt, who landed in Virginia in 1651 4
George Colt, who arrived in Virginia in 1654 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Colt Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

P Colt, aged 11, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 4
Samuel Colt, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Hiram Colt, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Colt migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Colt Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Robert Colt, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Madawaska" in 1849 5
Patrick Colt, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"

Contemporary Notables of the name Colt (post 1700) +

Johnny Colt (b. 1966), born Charles Brandt, an American bass guitar player, best known for his work with the rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd
Alvin Colt (1916-2008), American Tony Award–winning costume designer
Samuel Colt (1814-1862), founder of Colt's Manufacturing Company 1847. Colt held the patent on the revolver in 1835, but grew the business rapidly when the US Army ordered the now famous "Colt .45"
Henry Shapland "Harry" Colt (1869-1951), English golf course architect from Highgate, founder Member of the Royal & Ancient Rules of Golf Committee in 1897
Sir Richard Colt Hoare (1758-1838), English historian of Wiltshire, born on 9 Dec. 1758, the only son of Richard Hoare, Esq., of Barn Elms, Surrey (created a Baronet in 1786), English antiquarian, archaeologist, artist, and traveller 6
Joseph Colt Bloodgood (1867-1935), American prominent surgeon at Johns Hopkins Hospital, known for demanding everyone involved in an operation wear rubber gloves
Mary Colt Gross, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Rhode Island, 1924 7
Colt McCoy (b. 1986), American football quarterback

The Colt Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Transfigam
Motto Translation: I will transfix.

Citations +

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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "MADAWASKA" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Madawaska.htm
Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html