Colby Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Colby last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Colby last name
Meaning of the Colby last name: koli's farm. Colby is an English surname from Colby in Norfolk or Westmorland, an Old Norse place name for the farm of Koli. The last name settled early in New England. A curious detail: Colby cheese is named after a town in Wisconsin, which itself took the name of a railway man.
Arms associated with the Colby name
Coats of arms associated with the Colby surname follow English heraldry, each set out in a short blazon.
Get your full Colby family history
This is only a glimpse of the Colby story. The full Colby history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Colby coat of arms. Get the full Colby report.
Colby name FAQ
What does the Colby name mean?
Koli's farm. Common variants include Colbey, Coleby.
Where does the Colby surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Is there a Colby coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Colby coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).