Contents [hide]

Hamilton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Hamilton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The Hamilton family name, was a Norman name that came to Scotland from England. It is thought to derive from the village of Hamilton or Hameldune near Barkby in the county of Leicestershire. The village name comes from the Old English elements "hamel," which means "blunt," "flat-topped," or "crooked," and "dun," which means hill. There is a town of Hamilton near Glasgow, which took its name from the family, but may in turn have spawned more instances of the surname.

Early Origins of the Hamilton family

The surname Hamilton was first found in Renfrewshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rinn Friù), a historic county of Scotland, today encompassing the Council Areas of Renfrew, East Renfrewshire, and Iverclyde, in the Strathclyde region of southwestern Scotland, where they were granted lands by King Robert the Bruce of Scotland.

The Clan traces its origin to the Earls of Mellent in Normandy who arrived in Britain with William the Conqueror in 1066 AD. They were granted lands in Hambleton in Buckinghamshire. Soon after, Sir William de Hambleton accepted a challenge from John de Spence. Spence was killed, drawing the wrath of King Edward II of England. Sir William fled northwards with his entourage to Scotland, hotly pursued by the king's men. With their pursuers close behind them, Sir William and his servant exchanged clothes with two wood cutters and, using their saw, they cut down a large oak tree to bridge a river. Finally, when at last the tree fell, Sir William cried 'through' and they escaped across the river over the tree. The Clan Hamilton has retained this motto since that eventful day.

Early History of the Hamilton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hamilton research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1282, 1296, 1307, 1333, 1392, 1495, 1504, 1520, 1528, 1563, 1575, 1580, 1600, 1604, 1607, 1610, 1623, 1626, 1633, 1636, 1637, 1640, 1646, 1650, 1655, 1658, 1659, 1663, 1666, 1668, 1669, 1670, 1674, 1679, 1685, 1701, 1706, 1707, 1715, 1719, 1720, 1721, 1734 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hamilton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamilton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hamilton, Hamelton, Hameldon, Hamildon, Hamylton, Hambleton and many more.

Early Notables of the Hamilton family

Notable among the family at this time was

Sir Patrick Hamilton (d. 1520), a Scottish nobleman, and younger brother of aforementioned James Hamilton, 1st Earl of Arran
Thomas Hamilton, 1st Earl of Haddington (1563-1637), Scottish administrator, Lord Advocate, judge, and Lord Lieutenant of Haddingtonshire
Patrick Hamilton (c. 1575-1658), a minister of The Church of Scotland during a turbulent period in Scotland's history, also a poet
Archibald Hamilton (1580-1659), the fourth Anglican Archbishop of Cashel, nominated Bishop of Killala and Achonry in 1623 and consecrated that year
Thomas Hamilton, 2nd Earl of Haddington (1600-1640), a Scottish nobleman
John Hamilton, 4th Earl of Haddington (1626-1669), a Scottish nobleman
Charles Hamilton, 5th Earl of Haddington (1650-1685), a Scottish nobleman
James Hamilton (1610-1674), Bishop of Galloway
James Hamilton, 3rd Lord Hamilton, Baron of Strabane (1633-1655), an Irish peer
James Hamilton (died 1666), a Scottish minister active in Ireland, ministering to the Ulster Scots
Sir Robert Hamilton (1650-1701), 2nd Baronet of Preston, one of the leaders of the Scottish Covenanters
Mary Hamilton or Maria Danilovna Gamentova (died 1719), the lady in waiting of Empress Catherine I of Russia and a royal mistress of Tsar Peter the Great of Russia, she was executed for abortion, infa...

Hamilton World Ranking

In the United States, the name Hamilton is the 103^rd most popular surname with an estimated 203,934 people with that name. [1] However, in Canada, the name Hamilton is ranked the 88^th most popular surname with an estimated 29,834 people with that name. [2] And in Quebec, Canada, the name Hamilton is the 871^st popular surname. [3] Newfoundland, Canada ranks Hamilton as 729^th with 59 people. [4] Australia ranks Hamilton as 104^th with 25,498 people. [5] New Zealand ranks Hamilton as 122^nd with 3,683 people. [6] The United Kingdom ranks Hamilton as 113^rd with 43,260 people. [7]

Migration of the Hamilton family to Ireland

Some of the Hamilton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 159 words (11 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hamilton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hamilton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

David Hamilton, who settled in Boston in 1651
Danl Hamilton, who landed in Virginia in 1652 [8]
Andrew Hamilton (c. 1676-1741), was an early colonial lawyer (Scottish born), who became attorney general of Pennsylvania (1717)
Andrew Hamilton, who arrived in America in 1685 [8]
Mathew Hamilton, who settled in New England in 1685

Hamilton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Cath Hamilton, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 [8]
Alexander Hamilton, who arrived in Maryland in 1740 [8]
Bell Hamilton, who landed in Maryland in 1747 [8]
Archibald Hamilton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 [8]
Archie Hamilton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 [8]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamilton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Hamilton, who arrived in America in 1805 [8]
Elizabeth Hamilton, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 [8]
Conway Hamilton, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 [8]
Daniel Hamilton, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 [8]
Edward Hamilton, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 [8]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamilton Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

August Hamilton, who arrived in Arkansas in 1906 [8]

Hamilton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hamilton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Hamilton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Mr. George Hamilton U.E. who settled in Carleton [Saint John City], New Brunswick c. 1784 [9]
Mr. Gorham Hamilton U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [9]
Mr. James Hamilton U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 [9]
Mr. John Hamilton U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 [9]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamilton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

David Hamilton, who arrived in Canada in 1820
Elenor Donovan Hamilton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1825
James Hamilton, aged 26, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Silestria" from Belfast, Ireland
Eliza Hamilton, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Silestria" from Belfast, Ireland
Thomas Hamilton, aged 65, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the schooner "Sarah" from Belfast, Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamilton migration to Australia +

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

Hamilton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Elinor Hamilton, (Goff), (b. 1782), aged 31, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Catherine" on 8th December 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [10]
Miss Ann Hamilton, English convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Broxbournebury" in January 1814, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [11]
Mr. Job Hamilton, Canadian covict who was convicted in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada for life, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 16th January 1816, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [12]
Miss Ann Hamilton, Irish country servant who was convicted in Antrim, Ireland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canada" on 21st March 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia then transported on to Tasmania per "Elizabeth Henrietta" [13]
Mr. James Hamilton, (b. 1800), aged 20, English clerk who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years for fraud, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1838 [14]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Hamilton 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:

Hamilton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Hamilton, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Delhi" arriving in Bay of Islands, New Zealand on 16th August 1840 [15]
Child Hamilton, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Delhi" arriving in Bay of Islands, New Zealand on 16th August 1840 [15]
William Hamilton, who arrived in Port Nicholson aboard the ship "London" in 1842
F Hamilton, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Barque Tuscan
William Hamilton, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship London
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Hamilton (post 1700) +

Alexander Hamilton (1755-1757), American Founding Father, soldier, economist, political philosopher, the first United States Secretary of the Treasury
Lewis Carl Davidson Hamilton M.B.E., HonFREng (b. 1985), English Formula One Racing Driver, World Champion winner in 2008, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. BBC Sports Personality of the year in 2014 and 2020. He was knighted in 2021
Suzy Favor Hamilton (b. 1968), née Favor, American middle-distance runner
Saskia Hamilton (1967-2023), born Maria Saskia Hamilton, an American poet, editor, and professor and university administrator at Barnard College who published four collections of poetry, with a fifth, posthumous collection, All Souls, to be published in October 202
Ronald Allen "Ron" Hamilton (1950-2023), known as "Patch the Pirate," an American Christian singer, songwriter, composer, preacher, voice actor, and personality, president and owner of Majesty Music
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Hamilton (1966-2023), American bronze medalist speed skier at the 1992 Winter Olympics
F. Dianne Miller Hamilton (1934-2021), American politician who served as a Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives from 1999 to 2017
Gilbert Van Tassel Hamilton (1877-1943), American physician and author of Introduction to Objective Psychopathology
Jack Edwin Hamilton (1938-2018), American Major League Baseball pitcher who played from 1962 to 1969
Dorrance "Dodo" Hill Hamilton (1928-2017), American heiress of the Campbell Soup fortune and philanthropist
... (Another 302 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Hamilton family +

Empress of Ireland

Mr. James Alfred Hamilton (d. 1914), British Bell Boy from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [16]
Mr. Frank William Hamilton (d. 1914), British Ticket Agent from United Kingdom who worked aboard the Empress of Ireland and died in the sinking [16]

Hillsborough disaster

Roy Harry Hamilton (1955-1989), English railway technician who was attending the FA Cup semi-final at Hillsborough Stadium, in Sheffield, Yorkshire when the stand allocated area became overcrowded and 96 people were crushed in what became known as the Hillsborough disaster and he died from his injuries [17]

HMS Repulse

Mr. S G Hamilton (b. 1911), English Lieutenant Surgeon from Cambridge, England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking [18]

North Sea Flood

David W. Hamilton, British traveler aboard the ferry "Princess Victoria" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953

RMS Lusitania

Mrs. Isabella Hamilton, English 2nd Class passenger residing in New Haven, Connecticut, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking [19]

RMS Titanic

Mr. Ernest Hamilton (d. 1912), aged 25, English Assistant Smoke Room Steward from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking [20]

USS Arizona

Mr. Elsworth F. Hamilton, American Aviation Chief Machinist's Mate working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking [21]
Mr. James E. Hamilton, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking [21]
Mr. Edwin Carrell Hamilton, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [21]
Mr. William Holman Hamilton, American Gunner's Mate Third Class from Oklahoma, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [21]
Mr. Clarence James Hamilton, American Machinist's Mate First Class from Washington, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [21]

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
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
Convict Records of Australia (Retreived 2nd January 2021, retreived from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/catherine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/broxbournebury
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
Hillsborough Victims (retreived 21st March 2021). Retreived from https://metro.co.uk/2019/04/15/remembering-96-victims-hillsborough-disaster-30-years-9206566/
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html