Heighton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the name Heighton date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Heighton family lived in or near the settlement of Heighton in the county of Sussex. The surname is thought to derive from one of several place names composed of the old English elements "heah" or "high" and "tun," meaning "enclosure or settlement." The surname Heighton belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Heighton family

The surname Heighton was first found in Sussex where the first record of the name is John atte Heghetun who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Today Hightown is a village and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside but originally part of Cheshire. 1 However, other references list Hightown in what was formerly Lancashire. "The Huytons of Billinge held land [in Skelmersdale, Lancashire] as early as 1307." 2

Early History of the Heighton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heighton research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1279 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Heighton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heighton Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Heighton are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Heighton include: Heighton, Highton, Huyton and others.

Early Notables of the Heighton family

Notables of the family at this time include

Heighton of Essex

Heighton migration to the United States +

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Heighton or a variant listed above:

Heighton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Heighton who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1828

Heighton 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:

Heighton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Heighton, aged 37, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
Mary A. Heighton, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
J. William Heighton, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Heighton (post 1700) +

William Heighton (1800-1873), English-born, American shoemaker who became the leader of the Philadelphia Working Man's Party
James "Jim" Heighton (1944-2023), Canadian defensive lineman who played thirteen seasons in the Canadian Football League, mainly for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, three-time Schenley award nominee (1974 Most Outstanding Canadian; 1974 Most Outstanding Defenseman; 1976 Most Outstanding Canadian)
Steven Heighton (1961-2022), Canadian Governor General’s Award, Trillium Award, Journey Prize, and Pushcart Prize nominated author and poet from Toronto, Ontario
Brent Heighton, Canadian artist

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
'Townships: Scarisbrick', in A History of the County of Lancaster: Volume 3, ed. William Farrer and J Brownbill (London, 1907), pp. 265-276. British History Online http://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/lancs/vol3/pp265-276 [accessed 21 January 2017].