Contents [hide]

Payton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Payton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the Payton family brought their name to England in the wave of migration after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Sussex, at Peyton, a small town near Boxford from whence their name derives.

Early Origins of the Payton family

The surname Payton was first found in Suffolk where "the Peytons have a common descent with the Uffords, afterwards Earls of Suffolk, from the great Baron William Mallet, who came hither at the Conquest. The first of the family who assumed the surname was Reginald de Peyton, lord of Peyton in the parish of Boxford, co. Suffolk, in which county, at Isleham, in later centuries, his descendants were very eminent. In medieval charters, this surname was latinized De Pavilliano and Pietonus." 1 2 Later some of the family were found at Doddington in Cambridgeshire. " The manor was one of the ancient estates of the church of Ely, and was alienated by Bishop Heton to the crown in 1600; it soon afterwards became the property of the Peytons, who appear to have been settled here nearly a century before, as lessees of the bishop. John Peyton was created a Baronet in 1660, and dying without issue, his next brother, Algernon, was advanced to the same dignity in 1666. The title again becoming extinct in 1771, on the death of Sir Thomas Peyton, who was the last male heir of the family, Henry Dashwood, Esq., whose father had married a daughter of Sir Sewster Peyton, succeeded to the estate, took the name of Peyton by act of parliament, and was created a baronet in 1776." 3 There is a small chapelry named Peyton in Devon in the parish and hundred of Bampton, union of Tiverton and this may be a later branch of the family.

Early History of the Payton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Payton research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1544, 1588, 1593, 1595, 1604, 1607, 1613, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1624, 1626, 1630, 1640, 1644, 1657, 1661, 1679, 1684, 1707 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Payton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Payton Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Payton were recorded, including Peyton, Payton and others.

Early Notables of the Payton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir John Peyton (1544-1630), English soldier and Governor of Jersey from Isleham, Cambridgeshire; and his son, Sir Edward Peyton (1588-1657), English parliamentarian, High Sheriff of the Cambridgeshire in 1593 and 1604.Thomas Peyton (1595-1626), was an English poet from Royston, Cambridgeshire, probably a younger son of Sir John Peyton of Isleham. Sir Samuel Peyton, (d. 1623) was 1st Baronet, of Knowlton, Kent; and his son, Sir Thomas Peyton, 2nd Baronet (1613-1684), was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Sandwich (1640-1644) and Kent (1661-1679).Sir Henry Peyton (died 1622), was an English adventurer, son of...
Another 104 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Payton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Payton Ranking

In the United States, the name Payton is the 1,239^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Payton family to Ireland

Some of the Payton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Payton migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Payton arrived in North America very early:

Payton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Henry Payton, who arrived in Virginia in 1622 5
Robert Payton, aged 25, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 5
Peter Payton, aged 22, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 5
Bezaleel Payton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1643 5
Mary Payton, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Payton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Stephen Payton, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1731-1735 5

Payton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

James Payton, aged 22, who landed in Rhode Island in 1812 5
Seymore B Payton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
Patrick Payton, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1853 5
Mr. Jack Payton, (b. 1810), aged 75, Cornish settler departing from Liverpool aboard the ship "City of Rome" arriving in the United States on 18 September 1885 6

Payton migration to Australia +

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

Payton Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Thomas Payton, (b. 1752), aged 45, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 25th March 1797, sentenced for 7 years, transported aboard the ship "Barwell" on November 7th 1797 to New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Thomas Payton, Cornish convict who was convicted in Cornwall, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8

Payton 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:

Payton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Joseph Payton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "James Lister" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Payton (post 1700) +

John A. Payton (1946-2012), American civil rights attorney
Dion Payton (1950-2021), American Chicago blues guitarist and singer from Greenwood, Mississippi
Walter Payton (1954-1999), American NFL football player for the Chicago Bears, inductee into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993, known in the NFL as "Sweetness," eponym of the Walter Payton Award and the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award; he died at the age of 45 from the rare liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis
Larry Payton (d. 2016), American R&B drummer for Brass Construction
Elfrid Payton (b. 1967), American retired CFL all-star football player, inductee into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, 2010
Jason Lee "Jay" Payton (b. 1972), American former Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1998 to 2010
Khary Payton (b. 1972), American actor, known for his voice work and his portrayal as Dr. Terrell Jackson on the ABC daytime soap opera General Hospital
Barbara Lee Payton (1927-1967), born Barbara Lee Redfield, an American film actress who was the subject of several books about her very difficult personal life with alcohol and drug addiction
Nicholas Payton (b. 1973), American Grammy Award winning trumpet and keyboard player from New Orleans, Louisiana
Patrick Sean Payton (b. 1963), American NFL football head coach for the New Orleans Saints
... (Another 19 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Payton family +

HMS Royal Oak

J.A. Payton, British Corporal with the Royal Marine aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 9

The Payton 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: Patior, potior
Motto Translation: I endure, I enjoy

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
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