Surname Cobelegh - Meaning and Origin

Cobelegh: What does the surname Cobelegh mean?

The last name Cobelegh is derived from the old English words "Cola's" and "Leagh," which mean "a wood or clearing in the woods." This surname is thought to be of Anglo-Saxon origin likely given at some point during the 11th or 12th centuries.

The Cobelegh surname is most commonly found in England and Scotland today, as it was an extremely popular surname among the English gentry and aristocracy both during the Middle Ages and later. By the 18thand 19thcenturies, the name had come to be associated with distinguished families in the upper echelons of British society.

The name Cobelegh is often considered a habitational surname, meaning that it was originally assigned to someone who lived in or near a woodland area and well-known feature named Cobelegh. The surname may therefore have been first given to a family that once lived in or near such a place.

The name Cobelegh is not common today, though it was relatively well-known in the past due to its associations with the upper classes. Today, descendants of those families who bore the name are likely the only people who continue to maintain the surname.

Cobelegh: Where does the name Cobelegh come from?

The surname Cobelegh is common today in the countries of Australia and New Zealand. The surname likely originated from the name of an English village called Cobley, located in Lancashire in the UK. It is believed that Cobley had a population of just a few hundred people, most likely from Sweden or Finland, who moved to the area in the early 19th century.

From here, the locals took the surname Cobelegh and the name spread to Australia and New Zealand. According to public records, the first Cobelegh family migrated to Australia in 1852 and settled in Victoria. Later, another branch of the family moved to New Zealand in 1881, where they remain prolific today.

The surname Cobelegh is also found in small numbers in other countries such as Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. In addition to these countries, members of the Cobelegh family can also be found in Finland, Denmark, Sweden, and Scotland.

The Cobelegh family today is represented by two main branches: those descended from the English Cobley family and those descended from the Australian and New Zealand branch that moved there in the 19th century. Others have settled elsewhere such as South Africa, Belgium, Japan, and other parts of Europe. What all of these branches share in common is the remarkable resilience of the Cobelegh name over the years and the strength of their close family bonds.

Variations of the surname Cobelegh

Cobelegh is a peculiar surname likely deriving from the ancient Roman name Coleius. It has many variants, spellings and derivatives, although they are all related. The most common ones are Cobelegh, Coblegh, Cobley, Colley, Colby, Colbey, Kollie and Kolli.

The Cobelegh surname is widely found in England and Europe, having descended from the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, migrating west. The name is a combination of two statutes in Old European and Anglo-Saxon, ‘Cole’ meaning ‘coal’ and ‘legh’ meaning ‘meadow’. Therefore, the original meaning of the surname could be ‘coal meadow’.

The Coblegh spelling is mostly observed in Germany, where the spelling Cobelgh is also encountered. This spelling is also established in some parts of the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden, where the spelling Cobelegh is considered to be rare.

Colley, Colby and Cooley are the Anglicised versions of the original name Cobelegh and are widely found in the USA, Great Britain, Australia and New Zealand.

Kolli and Kollie are the variations of Coblegh found in many East European countries, including Poland, Hungary, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia and Croatia.

To sum up, the surname Cobelegh has more than a dozen of variants, spellings and derivatives, all of them preserving the original meaning. It is mostly found in England, Europe, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and many East European countries.

Famous people with the name Cobelegh

• Scotub Cobelegh: A South African rugby player who was part of the team that won the 2004 Tri Nations series. 2.Quinton Cobelegh: A South African cricketer who made his first-class debut for the Easterns cricket team in 2017.
• Bryn Cobelegh: A South African Paralympic athlete who has won five gold medals in the Paralympic Games.
• Richard Cobelegh: A South African archaeologist who has published several books on the history of the Cape of Good Hope.
• Andrea Cobelegh: An Argentinian artist who is known for her neo-expressionist paintings.
• Gretel Cobelegh: A Swiss fashion designer who has designed for numerous brands and made appearances in fashion magazines.
• Jona Cobelegh: A Dutch DJ who has released several albums and singles and has made notable appearances at the Amsterdam Dance Event.
• Davian Cobelegh: An American actor who has starred in a number of films including "Machete Kills" and "They Came Together".
• Gabrielle Cobelegh: An Australian actress who has starred in a number of productions including the television series "Tangle".
• Natasia Cobelegh: A Canadian model who was featured on the cover of Elle Magazine and has walked the runway for several major fashion houses.

Other surnames

CobeleiCobeleighCobeley