Contents [hide]

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

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Paton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

The surname Paton is a Scottish patronymic surname, derived from the name "Pat," a diminutive of Patrick. The Paton family initially lived at the manor of Patton in the English county of Cumberland before moving north to Scotland. In Ayrshire, the name is pronounced Pauton. 1

Early Origins of the Paton family

The surname Paton was first found in Cumberland (Cumbria) where the name "was the favourite Border form, and remains a Scottish surname today." 2

Paton with no forename was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Cumberland in 1332. As a forename we found Patone de Hangaldsyde in 1467. In 1230, Northumberland records show Hugo Patun and later, James Patoun was found in the Hundredorum Rolls for Bedfordshire in 1279. 3

Back in Scotland, "Paton is said to have been the name of a son of Sir Patrick Herring (fourteenth century). Royal pardons were granted to Paten Broune alias Broun and to the servant of Patein or Pateman Broin, 1407. Patone de Hangald-syde (1467) appears again in 1469 as Patrick Hangangside. Three persons named Pawton were voters in the parish of Qwilton (Coylton), 1513, and James Padyne, witness, 1514." 1

Early History of the Paton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Paton research. Another 277 words (20 lines of text) covering the years 1180, 1466, 1492, 1520, 1538, 1547, 1550, 1582, 1596, 1597, 1606, 1613, 1650, 1662, 1682, 1684, 1686, 1700, 1721, 1807, 1890 and 1921 are included under the topic Early Paton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Patton, Pattin, Paton, Patin and others.

Early Notables of the Paton family

Notable among the family at this time was

James Paton (d. 1596), Scottish prelate, Bishop of Dunkeld, descended from the family of Ballilisk, Kinross-shire; and David Paton (fl. 1650-1700), Scottish painter, a portrait of General Thomas Dalye...
James Paton (d. 1684), was a Scottish covenanter, born at Meadowbank in the parish of Fenwick, Ayrshire. George Paton (1721-1807), Scottish bibliographer and antiquary, born in 1721, was the son of Jo...

Paton World Ranking

In the United States, the name Paton is the 12,358^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Paton is ranked the 8,846^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 5 And in Australia, the name Paton is the 558^th popular surname with an estimated 6,879 people with that name. 6 New Zealand ranks Paton as 526^th with 1,318 people. 7 The United Kingdom ranks Paton as 747^th with 8,963 people. 8

Migration of the Paton family to Ireland

Some of the Paton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Paton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Paton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Vincent Paton, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 aboard the ship "Tristram and Jane" 9
John Paton, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1684 9

Paton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Paton, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 9
Joseph Paton, aged 29, who arrived in New York, NY in 1774 9
William Paton, aged 32, who landed in New York, NY in 1774 9
Thomas Paton, aged 25, who landed in Georgia in 1775 9

Paton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James F Paton, who arrived in Mississippi in 1847 9
M Paton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 9
R B Paton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 9

Paton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Paton Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century

Catherine Paton, who landed in Canada in 1663

Paton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Robert Paton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750

Paton migration to Australia +

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

Paton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Paton, Scottish shoe maker who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 14 years for fraud, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Elizabeth Paton, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "America" on December 30, 1830, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
Mr. William Paton, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Charles Paton, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eden" on 12th March 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 13
Mr. Robert Paton, Scottish convict who was convicted in Glasgow, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 9th Mary 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Paton 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:

Paton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Paton, aged 28, a gardener, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 15
Jane Paton, aged 28, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 15
Joseph Paton, aged 28, a farmer, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 15
Margaret Paton, aged 27, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 15
John Paton, aged 3, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 15
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Paton (post 1700) +

Angela Paton (1930-2016), American stage, film and television actress and theatre director, best known for her roles in Groundhog Day (1993) and American Wedding (2003)
T. W. Paton, American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Ypsilanti, Michigan, 1920 16
Mark D. Paton, American politician, Mayor of Arkansas City, Kansas, 1985, 1989 16
Leon B. Paton, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 1916 16
Jonathan Paton, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Arizona, 2008; Candidate for U.S. Representative from Arizona 1st District, 2012 16
George Paton, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1904, 1908 16
E. W. Paton, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1904 16
Clarence Paton, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 6th District, 1940, 1942 16
Waller Hugh Paton (1828-1895), Scottish landscape-painter born in Wooers-Alley, Dunfermline, the first Scottish artist who painted a picture throughout in the open air; some of his works can still be seen in the National Gallery, Edinburgh
Mary Ann Paton (1802-1864), birth name of Mary Ann Woods, Scottish vocalist, best known for her role as Susanna in the ‘Marriage of Figaro’
... (Another 16 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Paton family +

Empress of Ireland

Mrs. Ethel Sabina Paton (1875-1914), née Grundy Canadian First Class Passenger from Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada who survived the sinking on the Empress of Ireland 17

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Paton, British Able Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 18

Ibrox disaster

David Ronald Paton (1957-1971), Scottish football supporter, from Fife who was at the Ibrox disaster on 2nd January 1971 when a human crush among the crowd killed 66 and injured 200 people he died of his injuries 19

Lady of the Lake

Miss Margaret Paton (b. 1813), Irish traveller from Strabane, Northern Ireland who sailed aboard the "Lady of the Lake" from Greenock, Scotland on 8th April 1833 to Quebec, Canada when the ship hit ice and sunk of the coast of Newfoundland on the 11th May 1833 and she died in the sinking

RMS Lusitania

Mr. J. F. Paton, Brazilian Steering Engineer from Brazil, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 20

The Paton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtute adepta
Motto Translation: Acquired by virtue

Citations +

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)
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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1830 with 135 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1830
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th December 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eden
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 14) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Commemoration Empress of Ireland 2014. (Retrieved 2014, June 17) . Retrieved from http://www.empress2014.ca/seclangen/listepsc1.html
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html
Bradford City Football Club In memory (retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/club/in-memoriam/
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/