Show ContentsBateson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bateson is one of the oldest family names to come from the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from the given name Bartholomew, of which it is a diminutive form. [1] [2] [3]

Early Origins of the Bateson family

The surname Bateson was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. One of the first notables of the family was Henry Bate or Hendrik Baten (of Mechelen or of Malines) (1246- c.1310) a Flemish philosopher, theologian, astronomer, astrologer, poet, and musician.

The more common plural version of today, "Bates" is rather recent. Frequently used in the singular form as both a forename and surname, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following, all in Lincolnshire: Bate de Butwick; Bate le Tackman; and Bathe filius Robert. Further to the north in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Alicia Bate; and Adam Bate. [4]

Again in Yorkshire, we found two entries for the name Bate (no first name), one in 1275 and the other in 1286. [5]

Other early rolls note Rogerus filius Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327; Roger Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; and Richard Bates in Yorkshire in 1297. Thomas del Bate was found in Northumberland in 1270 and William of Ye Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297. For these last two entires, the name may be derived from the Northern Middle English word "bat," meaning "boat," used for a boatman. [5]

"This surname has two principal centres, one in the counties of Leicester, Rutland, and Warwick, and the other in Kent. Prom these centres it has extended to the adjoining counties; but it is essentially a midland and eastern county name. In other parts of England its place is supplied by other forms of the name, or by other derivatives of Bartholomew. Thus, in Cornwall we find Bate, in Dorset and adjacent counties we have numbers of Bartletts, in Yorkshire Batty, in Northumberland Batey, in Oxon Batts, in Notts Bartle, etc. The original name of Bartholomew is now mostly found in the counties of Kent and Lincoln; but in its numerous derivative forms it is scattered over the land." [6]

Early History of the Bateson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bateson research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1415, 1429, 1580, 1599, 1608, 1620, 1625, 1626, 1668, 1682, 1699, 1700, 1877 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Bateson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bateson Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Bateson has undergone many spelling variations, including Bates, Batts, Bats, Bate, Bateson, Baits, Baites, Baytes and many more.

Early Notables of the Bateson family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

  • Thomas Bateson (1580?-1620?), was an early English musical composer, one of the greatest of the Elizabethan madrigal composers. "The first fact that can be ascertained with certainty concerning him is...

Ireland Migration of the Bateson family to Ireland

Some of the Bateson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Bateson migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Bateson were among those contributors:

Bateson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Bateson, who arrived in Maryland in 1677 [7]
Bateson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Henry Bateson, who settled in Maryland in 1774
Bateson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James and John Bateson, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1860
  • Fred Bateson, aged 32, who immigrated to the United States from Leeds, in 1897
Bateson Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Fredery Bateson, aged 44, who immigrated to America from Bolton, in 1904
  • Fred Bateson, aged 35, who settled in America from Bippondem, England, in 1907
  • Evelyn Bateson, aged 3, who landed in America from So. Shields, England, in 1908
  • Frank Bateson, aged 0, who immigrated to the United States from Keighley, England, in 1909
  • George Harold Bateson, aged 30, who immigrated to the United States from Colwyn Bay, Wales, in 1911
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Bateson migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Bateson Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Thomas Bateson, aged 23, a saddler, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "India" in 1875 [8]

Contemporary Notables of the name Bateson (post 1700) +

  • Mary Catherine Bateson (b. 1939), U.S. writer and anthropologist
  • Sir Paul Patrick Gordon Bateson FRS (1938-2017), English biologist and science writer, Provost of King's College, Cambridge (1987–2003)
  • Frederick Wilse Bateson (1901-1978), English literary scholar
  • Gregory Bateson (1904-1980), English anthropologist
  • William Bateson (1861-1926), British geneticist who coined the term "genetics," awarded the Darwin Medal in 1904
  • Thomas Bateson (1819-1890), 1st Baron Deramore, British Conservative politician
  • Patrick Bateson (b. 1938), British biologist and science writer
  • Frank Bateson OBE (1909-2007), New Zealand astronomer

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Morris Bateson (b. 1914), English Engine Room Artificer 3rd Class from Pudsey, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [9]


The Bateson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Et manu et corde
Motto Translation: Both with hand and heart.


  1. Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  7. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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