Origin
Nicolas : 1: Spanish (Nicolás) French Walloon Breton and West Indian (mainly Haiti): from the personal name Nicolás (Spanish) Nicolas (French Breton) from Greek Nikolaos (see Nicholas). In France this surname is most common in Brittany.2: English (southern England and Glamorgan): variant of Nicholas.3: Greek: from a variant of the personal name Nikola(o)s (see Nicholas) or in most cases an (American) shortened form of any of various Greek derivatives of this personal name e.g. Nikolaidis or Nikolaides which are also spelled Nicolaidis and Nicolaides. See also Nikolas compare Nicola.4: Americanized form of Croatian and Serbian Nikolaš (see Nikolas) or of any of various Serbian Macedonian or Bulgarian patronymics from the personal name Nikola ‘Nicholas’; see Nickolas compare Nicola.
Campkin : re-modelled form of Campin variant of Campion in imitation of names ending with the hypocoristic suffix -kin. The same change has occurred in the word pumpkin which is an altered form of pumpin a variant of pompion (OED). For the variation in the surname compare Nicolas Campion 1572 Willm. Campkin 1671 in IGI (Ware Herts); Richard Campion 1589 Samuel Campkin 1676 in IGI (Bassingbourn Cambs); George Campion 1605 Frances Campin 1606 Edward Campkin 1705 in IGI (Watton at Stone Herts); Anne Camkin 1674 Grace Campion 1696 in IGI (Potton Beds); James Campin 1695 Robert Campion 1732 Isaac Campkin 1807 in IGI (Orpington Kent).
Colas : 1: French West Indian (mainly Haiti) and Mauritian; Breton (rarely Le Colas); Spanish (Colás): from a short form of the personal name Nicolas Nicolás (see Nicolas and Nicholas). The surname of French and Breton origin was also brought to England by Huguenot refugees.2: English (Yorkshire and Lancashire): variant of Collis (see also Coles).
Cole : 1: English: usually from the Middle English and Old French personal name Col(e) Coll(e) Coul(e) a pet form of Nicol (see Nichol and Nicholas) a common personal name from the mid 13th century onward. English families with this name migrated to Scotland and to Ulster (especially Fermanagh).2: English: occasionally perhaps from a different (early) Middle English personal name Col of native English or Scandinavian origin. Old English Cola was originally a nickname from Old English col ‘coal’ in the sense ‘coal-black (of hair) swarthy’ and is the probable source of most of the examples in Domesday Book. In the northern and eastern counties of England settled by Vikings in the 10th and 11th centuries alternative sources are Old Norse Kolr and Koli (either from a nickname ‘the swarthy one’ or a short form of names in Kol-) and Old Norse Kollr (from a nickname perhaps ‘the bald one’).3: English: nickname for someone with swarthy skin or black hair from Middle English col coul(e) ‘charcoal coal’ (Old English col).4: Scottish and Irish: when not of English origin this is a shortened and altered form of McCool.5: French (northern mainly Seine-Maritime): from a short form of the personal name Nicolas (see Nicholas). Compare 1 above and Colle.6: Americanized form of German Kohl.7: Americanized form of Dutch Kool.8: In some cases particularly in New England Americanized form (translation into English; compare 3 above) of French Charbonneau.
Collas : 1: from Old French Colas a pet form of Nicolas. It was introduced to England by Huguenots; it is also found in the Channel Islands. 2: variant of Collis (see also Coles).
Colle : 1: French (northern) Walloon and Flemish: from a short form of the personal name Nicolas (see Nicholas). Compare Cole.2: English (Glamorgan): variant of Coll.3: Italian: topographic name from colle ‘hill col’ or a habitational name from any of various places called with this word.4: Americanized form of German Koll or the variant Kolle.
Collette : 1: Altered form of French Collet reflecting the Canadian and American French practice of sounding the final -t. Compare Collett.2: French: from a shortened pet form of the personal name Nicole feminine form of Nicolas (see Nicholas). Compare Colette.
Collignon : French and Walloon: from a shortened pet form (see Cole and Colle) of the French personal name Nicolas (see Nicholas).
Cotton : 1: English: habitational name from any of numerous places called from Old English (æt) cotum (dative plural of cot) ‘at the cottages or huts’ (or sometimes possibly from a Middle English plural coten). Examples include Coton (Cambridgeshire Northamptonshire Staffordshire) Cottam (East Yorkshire Lancashire Nottinghamshire) and Cotham (Nottinghamshire). Particularly common in Staffordshire.2: French: from a pet form of the personal name Nicolas (see Nicholas) derived via Nicot or of the personal name Jacques derived via Jacot.
Cuttino : 1: Americanized form of French Cothonneau: probably a derivative of a pet form of the personal name Nicolas (see Nicholas) or Jacques; see Cotton. The surname Cothonneau is no longer found in France.2: Possibly also an altered form of Italian Cutino.
Nicolet : 1: French: from the personal name Nicolet a pet form of Nicolas (see Nicholas).2: English: from the Middle English personal name Nic(h)olet a pet form of Nic(h)ol (see Nichol). Also brought to England by French Huguenots (see 1 above).
San Nicolas : Spanish (San Nicolás; also Sannicolás): habitational name from any of numerous places so named for a local shrine or church dedicated to Saint Nicholas (Spanish San Nicolás); see Nicholas.
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Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
FANBI : The Oxford Dictionary if Family Names in Britain and Ireland, ©2016, University of the West of England
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