Show ContentsCarlton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

From the land of Wales came the name of Carlton. The evolution of this Celtic name can be traced back to when the Carlton family lived in any of such places as Carlton in Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Durham, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Suffolk, or the East Riding of Yorkshire, or in one of the places called Carleton in Cumberland Lancashire, Norfolk, or the West Riding of Yorkshire. One of the reasons for the numerous entries of the place name is that the name literally means "farmstead or estate of the freemen" 1

Early Origins of the Carlton family

The surname Carlton was first found in Herefordshire, but one family was found at Whitton in Shropshire in early times. "Here is a farmhouse formerly a seat of the Charltons, where James II. visited: a chamber in it contains some superior tapestry of that period." 2

Early History of the Carlton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carlton research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1268, 1300, 1336, 1353, 1360, 1361, 1362, 1369, 1374, 1401, 1559, 1560, 1562, 1573, 1599, 1601, 1605, 1618, 1619, 1628, 1632, 1638, 1642, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1672, 1673, 1678, 1679, 1685 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Carlton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carlton Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Carlton have included Carleton, Carlton, Charleton, Charlton and others.

Early Notables of the Carlton family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Charleton, (1268-1353), 1st Baron Cherleton, 1st Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton, (c. 1300-1360), 2nd Baron Cherleton, 2nd Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton, (c. 1336-1374), 3rd Baron Cherleton, 3rd Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton (Cherleton or Charlton), (1362-1401), 4th Baron Cherleton, 4th Lord Charlton of Powys; Lewis de Charleton (or Lewis Charlton, Lewes de Cherlton) (died 1369), Bishop of Hereford (1361-1369); Sir John Carleton 'of the Bower', notorious Border fighter; Richard Carleton (1560-1638), English composer; Dudley Carleton, Viscount Dorchester...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Carlton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carlton Ranking

In the United States, the name Carlton is the 1,292nd most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Carlton family to Ireland

Some of the Carlton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 141 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Carlton migration to the United States +

Many people from Wales joined the general migration to North America in the 19th and 20th centuries, searching for land, work, and freedom. Like the many other immigrants from the British Isles, they made a significant contribution to the development of Canada and the United States. The Welsh and their descendents added a rich cultural tradition to the newly developed towns, cities, and villages. An investigation of the immigration and passenger lists has revealed a number of people bearing the name Carlton:

Carlton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mary Carlton, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 4
  • John Carlton, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 4
Carlton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Mary Carlton, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 4
  • Neil Carlton, aged 19, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1776 4
Carlton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A Carlton, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 4
  • I Carlton, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • M Carlton, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 4
  • L Carlton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
  • H Carlton, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Carlton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Carlton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Christian Carlton U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway [Shelburne], Nova Scotia on October 26, 1783 was passenger number 288 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on September 28, 1783 at Staten Island, New York 5

Australia Carlton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Carlton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Carlton, English convict who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Aurora" on 3rd November 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • Miss Grace Carlton who was convicted in Leeds, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Edward" on 23rd April 1834, arriving in Tasmania, (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Mr. Duncan Carlton, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Egyptian" on 5th April 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
  • John Carlton, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Sea Queen" 9
  • William Carlton, aged 20, a tailor, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Stamboul"

New Zealand Carlton 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:

Carlton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Hugh Carlton, who landed in Bay of Islands, New Zealand in 1840
  • Miss Annie Carlton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rakaia" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th August 1881 10
  • Miss Bridget Carlton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rakaia" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th August 1881 10
  • Mr. Francis Carlton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rakaia" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th August 1881 10
  • Mr. James Carlton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Rakaia" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 10th August 1881 10
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Carlton (post 1700) +

  • William Newnham Chattin Carlton (1873-1943), American librarian and historian who served as third librarian of the NewBerry Library of Chicago, from 1909 to 1920
  • Gaither Wiley Carlton (1901-1972), American Old-time fiddle player and banjo player
  • Linwood Wray Carlton (b. 1937), former American collegiate and CFL professional football running back
  • Larry Carlton (b. 1948), American studio guitarist, best known for working with Steely Dan, the Crusaders and Joni Mitchell in the 1970s
  • Vanessa Lee Carlton (b. 1980), American soft rock/Piano pop singer, songwriter
  • William A. Carlton, American fighter pilot and flying ace in the U.S. Marine Corps, during World War II, credited with 5 aerial victories
  • Doyle Elam Carlton (1885-1972), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Florida State Senate, 1917-19; Governor of Florida, 1929-33; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Florida, 1948, 1952, 1956 11
  • Douglas Carlton, American politician, Supervisor of Flint Township, Michigan, 2007 11
  • Charles E. Carlton, American politician, Delegate to New Hampshire State Constitutional Convention from Marlborough, 1956 11
  • Caleb C. Carlton, American politician, U.S. Consular Agent in Souris, 1897-98 11
  • ... (Another 29 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Air New Zealand Flight 901
  • Mr. John Barrie Carlton (1933-1979), New Zealander passenger, from Otautau, Southland Plains, New Zealand aboard the Air New Zealand Flight 901 for an Antarctic sightseeing flight when it flew into Mount Erebus; he died in the crash 12
North Sea Flood
  • T. S. Carlton, British worker aboard the trawler "Sheldon" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953


Suggested Readings for the name Carlton +

  • Livingston and Carlton: Who Are We? by Henry Newell Carleton.
  • Cousins by the Dozens by Dorothy Sturgis Pruett.

  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th August 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/aurora
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/edward
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th January 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/egyptian
  9. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SEA QUEEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850SeaQueen.htm
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. Mount Erebus, Memorial, Roll of Remembrance (Retrieved 2018, February 21st). Retrieved from http://www.erebus.co.nz/memorialandawards/rollofremembrance.aspx


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