Surname Collingsworth - Meaning and Origin
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Collingsworth: What does the surname Collingsworth mean?
The surname Collingsworth is believed to be of English origin. It appears to be a habitational name, derived from a place name associated with a family who lived there. The earliest evidence of the name is recorded in Britain's oldest and most respected surviving public records, such as the Domesday Book of 1086. The first recorded spelling of the surname Collingsworth is that of Roger de Colingeurde in about 1180. This name was documented in various ancient documents, including the 'Register of the Freemen of the City of York' in 1379.
The name Collingsworth is thought to be derived from a combination of two elements: 'Colling,' a Middle English word which likely means "summit of a steep hill," and 'worth,' meaning "enclosure" or "homestead." Therefore, the name may have originated as a place name, possibly meaning "Colling's homestead," or "enclosed settlement at the summit of a hill."
The surname Collingsworth has spread to many parts of the English-speaking world over time. Alternate spellings of the name exist, such as Collingswood and Collingsworth, with the latter being the most prevalent form today. Today, the Collingsworth surname can be found throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
Order DNA origin analysisCollingsworth: Where does the name Collingsworth come from?
Collingsworth is an English surname that is particularly common in America today. Primarily found in Southern states in the US, especially in Texas, Virginia, Arkansas, Alabama, and Louisiana, its spread in America has been attributed to various migrations from England.
The earliest recorded instance of the surname in America dates back to 1654, when an immigrant by the name of Adam Collingsworth arrived in Jamestown, Virginia. By 1800, the surname had steadily spread to additional Southern states and could be found in records in West Virginia, North Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Georgia.
Today, about 111,000 Americans have the last name Collingsworth, with most living in the aftermath of the "Great Migration" of African Americans during the early to mid-20th century, during which a large number of African Americans moved to Northern cities. This expansive movement resulted in an increased number of people with the Collingsworth surname located in Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, New York, and Ohio.
In addition, various famous figures bear the Collingsworth surname, including the Hogan family, a family of country music artists from California, and Deontay Wilder, an American professional boxer from Alabama.
Variations of the surname Collingsworth
The surname Collingsworth is derived from an ancient Anglo-Saxon name. It is a combination of two Old English elements: “col” meaning “coal” and “ing” meaning “meadow” and “worth” meaning “enclosure”. In other words, the name is a descriptive reference to someone who lived next to a coal meadow.
Variants of this surname include Collinsworth and Collingsworth. The spelling can also change to Collinworth or Collingsworthe. More unusual variants include Collinssworth and Collysworth.
The Collingsworth surname can also be found with the suffices ‘s’ or ‘es’. Spellings such as Collingsworths and Collingsworthes appear to be more prevalent, with examples found in historic records.
In Scotland, the equivalent form of the Collinsworth surname is Callansworth. The parallel Scots name in Gaelic is Mac Fhiodhbhuídhe, but this can also be found written as MacFee and MacPhee.
Other surnames deriving from the same root include Callin, Costin, Cullen, Colins, Collins, Coulson, Coventry, Colman, and Collier, among others.
Overall, the surname Collingsworth has been used since the Middle Ages and has developed many spellings and variants over the years – providing the opportunity for further genealogical research.
Famous people with the name Collingsworth
- Phil Collingsworth Jr.: Phil Collingsworth Jr. is an American sports broadcaster, television producer, and motivational speaker. He is a former football player and the host of Inside the NFL on Showtime.
- Cris Collinsworth: Cris Collinsworth is an Emmy award-winning football commentator and former Dallas Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals Pro Bowl wide receiver. Known as a broadcast commentator on the NFL Network and NBC's Sunday Night Football, he has become one of the most recognizable and respected commentators in sports.
- Ashley Collingsworth: Ashley Collingsworth is an American beauty pageant titleholder who was Miss Kentucky for the Miss USA 2013 the 62nd Miss USA pageant.
- Bethany Collingsworth: Bethany Collingsworth is an American softball player from Texas. She was a pitcher for the University of Texas Longhorns from 2004-2007 and was an All-Big 12 selection in 2006 and 2007.
- Christina Collingsworth: Christina Collingsworth is an American figure skater who is an eight-time U.S. National champion and the 1987 world champion. She competed in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games.
- Chris Collingsworth: Chris Collingsworth is an award-winning, Grammy-nominated songwriter and producer. He has contributed to the popular soundtracks of films and television shows, writing the theme song for the series Everwood.