Origin of Our Name: Theory #1

One theory about the origin of the Candland name is that it is derived from the Cornish name "Cand" for a colorful mineral called fluor spar.

As per Dictionary.com:

Cand
Cand\, n. Fluor spar. See Kand.

Kand
Kand\, n. (Mining) Fluor spar; -- so called by Cornish miners.

Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Learn more about Fluorite here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluorite

The only backup we've found for this possible name origin is the writing of Grace Maggie Candland in a book called "David Candland: His Life and Work." She claims:

The name Candland is one of the oldest and most distinguished in Southern England. It is of Cornish origin, and is derived from the mineral lands that abound in the province of Cornwall.

The first half of it, Cand-, is the name that the Cornish miners use for Fluor-Spar or Fluornite (meaning a floor) which is calcium fluride, a transparent mineral occuring in a vein stone known in Derbeyshire as Blue John. The last half, -land, is the place where this cand or Fluornite meneral is found. Hence the name Cand-land.

Perhaps some of our ancestors were connected with the mining industry, and they, like many of the European people, have established a family name from, for instance, a castle, a bay, like, river, and in this case a section of land.

It's possible Grace formed this theory after learning the meaning of the word Cand.

Bob Candland has researched this theory and found that the name is not likely Cornish. Cornish names are typically Celtic, and Candland is not likely a Celtic name.

Early records of Candlands in Britain (1500s, 1600s) have them more in the areas of Chestershire, Staffordshire, and Shropshire in central England. Cornwall is way down at the Southwestern tip. We're not finding early records of Candlands in Cornwall.

To be continued...