This is a locational name which derives from the village of Collingham (Bridge) near Wetherby in Yorkshire. The name is Anglo-Saxon and means 'the farm or homestead (ham) of the family (ing) of Coll - a personal name which probably derived from Nicolas. Locational names were usually given to former inhabitants who moved to another area, a system which also created the problem of transposed spellings. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Johannes de Colyngham. which was dated 1379, in the "Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls". during the reign of King Richard 11, known as "Richard of Bordeaux" 1378 - 1400. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.