Show ContentsElkington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

When the ancestors of the Elkington family emigrated to England following the Norman Conquest in 1066 they brought their family name with them. They lived in Lincolnshire, at the Manor of Elkington, near Louth.

Early Origins of the Elkington family

The surname Elkington was first found in Lincolnshire at either North Elkington or South Elkington, parishes in the union of Louth, Wold division of the hundred of Louth-Eske. Both parishes were originally one and were recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Alchinton. 1 Hence the name is conjecturally descended from William de Percy who held his lands from Ivo Tailbois, a tenant in chief. At that time the village of Elkington (Alchinton) consisted of one church, one chapel, a mill and a mill site. Elkington is also a deserted medieval village and civil parish in the Daventry district of the county of Northamptonshire. Listed in 1377 as having 30 households, by 1412 there was none.

Early History of the Elkington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elkington research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1600 is included under the topic Early Elkington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Elkington Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Elkington have been found, including Elkinton, Alkington, Elchington and others.

Early Notables of the Elkington family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

  • Elkington of Elkington


United States Elkington migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. 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 Elkington were among those contributors:

Elkington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Elkington, a bonded passenger who arrived in America in 1736
  • George Elkington, who landed in New Jersey in 1738 2
Elkington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Elkington, who arrived in New York in 1832

Australia Elkington migration to Australia +

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

Elkington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. John Elkington, British Convict who was convicted in Monmouth, Monmouthshire, Wales for 7 years, transported aboard the "Corona" on 13th October 1866, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Elkington (post 1700) +

  • Norman Elkington, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1936 4
  • John Elkington, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 2008 4
  • David Clement Elkington (b. 1891), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Algiers, 1918-24; Casablanca, 1926; Cobh, 1927-29 4
  • George Richards Elkington (1801-1865), successful manufacturer from Birmingham, England, who patented the first commercial electroplating process 5
  • Wing Commander John Francis Durham "Tim" Elkington (1920-2019), British Royal Air Force fighter pilot who flew during the Battle of Britain, the last surviving aircrew known as "The Few"
  • Steve John Elkington (b. 1962), Australian golfer who plays on the PGA Tour
  • John Elkington Gill (1821-1874), English architect in Bath, Somerset, England
  • Robert Elkington Wood (1879-1969), American soldier and businessman, best known for his leadership of Sears, Roebuck and Company


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/corona
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020


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