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

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Middleton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The name Middleton is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived in one of the many places called Middleton throughout England. "There are several dozen places, larger or smaller, scattered up and down England of this name." 1

The surname Middleton 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 Middleton family

The surname Middleton was first found in one of the many villages named Middleton throughout Britain. One of the earlies records of the name was Robert de Mideltone who was listed in 1166 in Eynsham, Oxfordshire. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list: Richard de Middleton in Buckinghamshire; Thomas de Middelton in Lincolnshire; and Gilbert de Middleton in Yorkshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls revealed: Johannes de Midillton; Thomas de Midilton; and Ricardus de Midilton. 1 The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex list William de Midelton in 1327 and The Feet of Fines of Warwickshire list John Middilton (1409-1410.) 2 John de Middleton was vicar of St Mary's Church, Ottery St Mary, Devon in 1297.

Middleton, Warwickshire is a parish in the union of Tamworth. "the Moxhall estate, is the property of Lord Middleton. Middleton Hall, a seat of Lord Middleton's, is an ancient moated mansion, finely situated, and surrounded by an extensive park. " 3

The name was quick to appear further north in Scotland where "the first of the name recorded appears to have been Umfridus de Midilton who witnessed a grant of the lands of Petmengartenach to the Abbey of Arbroath in 1221. " 4 A few years later, Humfrey de Middiltone of the county of Kincardyn rendered homage to King Edward I in 1296. Robert Middleton was a defender of Dunbar Castle against the English in 1296, he was taken prisoner by King Edward I of England. "For about three centuries the family here bore the designation of Middleton of that Ilk." 4

Early History of the Middleton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Middleton research. Another 153 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1357, 1488, 1550, 1556, 1580, 1586, 1589, 1608, 1614, 1624, 1627, 1629, 1631, 1636, 1640, 1649, 1651, 1655, 1660, 1662, 1663, 1666, 1673, 1679, 1681, 1682, 1684, 1685, 1705, 1716 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Middleton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Middleton 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 Middleton 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. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Middleton include: Middleton, Middelton, Midleton and others.

Early Notables of the Middleton family

Notables of the family at this time include

Thomas Middleton, Sheriff of York
Thomas Middleton (1580-1627), English playwright
John Middleton (c.1608-1673), 1st Earl of Middleton
John Middleton (died 1636), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1614 and 1629
Thomas Middleton (1589-c.1662), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1640 and 1660, supporter of the Parliamentarian side in the English Civil War
Hugh Middleton, Commander of the "Guist" who engaged twenty-three single fights against the Dutch, Spanish and French
Charles Middleton, 2nd Earl of Middleton, Jacobite 1st Earl of Monmouth, PC (1649-1719), a Scottish politician, Secretary of State for Scotland (1682-1684)

Middleton World Ranking

In the United States, the name Middleton is the 716^th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 5 However, in Canada, the name Middleton is ranked the 989^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,469 people with that name. 6 And in Australia, the name Middleton is the 392^nd popular surname with an estimated 9,424 people with that name. 7 New Zealand ranks Middleton as 441^st with 1,537 people. 8 The United Kingdom ranks Middleton as 265^th with 22,792 people. 9

Middleton 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 Middleton or a variant listed above:

Middleton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Antony Middleton, who settled in Virginia in 1623
Mr. Charles Middleton, who left England and arrived in Maryland in 1634 aboard the ship "Ark and Dove" 10
Joe Middleton, aged 23, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance"
Marie Middleton, aged 17, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Assurance" 10
James Middleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1638
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Middleton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henry Middleton, who landed in Virginia in 1701 10
Eliza Middleton, who landed in Virginia in 1714 10
Alexander Middleton, who arrived in Boston in 1734
Alexander Middleton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1734 10

Middleton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James M Middleton, aged 27, who landed in Rhode Island in 1812 10
Samuel Middleton, who landed in America in 1824 10
Fancy Middleton, who arrived in Charleston, South Carolina in 1826 10
Robert Middleton, who arrived in New York in 1839 10
David Middleton, who arrived in New York in 1843 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Middleton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Middleton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Anthony Middleton U.E. who arrived at Port Roseway, [Shelbourne], Nova Scotia on December 13, 1783 was passenger number 363 aboard the ship "HMS Clinton", picked up on November 14, 1783 at East River, New York, USA 11

Middleton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jane Middleton, aged 18, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Britannia" from Sligo, Ireland
John Middleton, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1834 aboard the ship "Britannia" from Sligo, Ireland
Mr. Robert Middleton, aged 24 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Yorkshire" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle on 10th September 1847 12

Middleton migration to Australia +

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

Middleton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. William Middleton, (b. 1776), aged 37, English carpenter who was convicted in Surrey, England for 14 years for forgery, transported aboard the "Earl Spencer" in May 1813, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1828 13
Mr. William Middleton, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 14
John Middleton, English convict from Buckinghamshire, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on July 29th, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 15
Thomas Middleton, English convict from Herefordshire, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on October 16, 1826, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 16
Mr. David Middleton, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 14 years, transported aboard the "Exmouth" on 3rd March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 17
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Middleton 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:

Middleton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Middleton, aged 38, a blacksmith, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 18
Elizabeth Middleton, aged 36, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 18
Alexander Middleton, aged 16, a blacksmith, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 18
J. Middleton, American settler travelling from Honolulu aboard the ship "Tyrian" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 29th October 1851 19
Mr. Thomas Middleton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Lord Worsley" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 4th October 1858 20
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Middleton migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 21

Middleton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Edward Middleton, (b. 1620), aged 15, British settler travelling aboard the ship "The Dorset" arriving in Barbados in September 1635 22

Contemporary Notables of the name Middleton (post 1700) +

Catherine Elizabeth "Kate" Middleton (b. 1982), Duchess of Cambridge after her marriage to Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn and Baron Carrickfergus
Clark Tinsley Middleton (1957-2020), American actor, best known for his supporting roles in Kill Bill: Vol. 2, Sin City, Fringe, Snowpiercer, and The Blacklist
Harry Joseph Middleton Jr. (1921-2017), American journalist and author; he served as Lyndon B. Johnson's Presidential speech writer and staff assistant from 1967 to 1969
Lieutenant-General Troy Houston Middleton (1889-1976), American Commanding General VIII Corps, North-West Europe (1944-1945) 23
Brigadier-General John William Middleton (1897-1957), American Military Attaché to India (1947-1950) 24
Robert Middleton (1911-1977), American actor
George Middleton (1880-1967), American playwright
Charles B. Middleton (1879-1949), American actor
C. C. Middleton, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Virginia, 1932 25
Arthur Middleton (1742-1787), American politician, Delegate to South Carolina State Constitutional Convention, 1776; Delegate to Continental Congress from South Carolina, 1776; Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1778; Member of South Carolina State Senate, 1781 25
... (Another 58 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Middleton family +

Bradford City stadium fire

Frederick Norman Middleton (1901-1985), from Bradford who attended the Bradford City and Lincoln City Third Division match on 11th May 1985 when the Bradford City stadium fire occurred and he died in the fire

HMS Hood

Mr. Frank R Middleton (b. 1912), English Petty Officer serving for the Royal Navy from Rugby, Warwickshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 26

HMS Royal Oak

Andrew Findley Christie Middleton (1923-1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 27

RMS Lusitania

Miss Alice Middleton, English 2nd Class passenger residing in Seattle, Washington, USA returning to England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 28

RMS Titanic

Mr. M.V. Middleton (d. 1912), aged 24, English Saloon Steward from London, England who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 29
Mr. Alfred Pirrie Middleton (d. 1912), aged 17, Irish Junior Sixth Engineer from Belfast, Ireland who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 29

Victoria steamboat disaster

Janet Middleton, Canadian passenger who was killed in the Victoria steamboat disaster when the boat capsized in 1881

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"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
"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
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 47)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 8th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-spencer
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Asia 1 voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 151 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/asia/1823
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Andromeda voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1826 with 147 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1826
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th May 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/exmouth
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) Troy Middleton. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Middleton/Troy_Houston/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2013, May 9) John Middleton. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Middleton/John_William/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 25) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.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