Plimpton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the Plimpton surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in one of the many places named Plumpton in England including the township of Plumpton in Lancashire, the parish in Northumberland and the parish in Sussex. 1 2

The place name literally means "place where plum-trees grow," from the Old English word "plume" + "tun." 3

The oldest parishes are found in East Sussex and Lancashire which are both listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Pluntune and Pluntun, respectively. 4

Early Origins of the Plimpton family

The surname Plimpton was first found in Cheshire where William de Plumton was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1174. A few years later, Nigel de Plumpton was found in the Feet of Fines for Oxfordshire in 1247 and John de Plumpton in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 5

Interestingly, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 had two listings for the family, both in Northamptonshire: William de Plumton and Robert de Plumpton. 2

In Devon, "in all probability Plympton takes name from its ancient position at the head of the estuary of what is now known as the Plym, or, as these estuarine creeks are commonly called in the locality, lake pen lin in the Western Keltic tongue, contracted, as in other instances in Cornwall, into plin, the form which the first syllable takes in its earliest occurrence in ' Domesday ' Plintona." 6

Early History of the Plimpton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Plimpton research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1383, 1404, 1421, 1427, 1430, 1453, 1480, 1482, 1503, 1523, 1570, 1582 and 1619 are included under the topic Early Plimpton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plimpton Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Plimpton include Plumpton, Plumton, Plompton, Plympton and others.

Early Notables of the Plimpton family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir William Plumpton (1404-1480), English soldier, eldest son of Sir Robert Plumpton (1383-1421) of Plumpton, Yorkshire. His family had been settled at Plumpton from the twelfth century, and held of the earls of Northumberland as overlords. Accordingly the Earl of Northumberland had his wardship till he was of age. About 1427 he set out for the French wars; he was knighted...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Plimpton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Plimpton migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Plimpton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Plimpton, who arrived in Dedham, Massachusetts in 1630 7
Thomas Plimpton, who arrived in New England in 1643 7

Plimpton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

L D Plimpton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Plimpton (post 1700) +

Job Plimpton (1784-1864), one of the first American composers and organ builders
Francis Taylor Pearsons Plimpton (1900-1983), American diplomat and lawyer, partner at the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton, and a president of the New York City Bar Association
James Leonard Plimpton (1828-1911), American inventor who patented his roller skates in 1863
Calvin Hastings Plimpton (1918-2007), American physician and educator, President of Amherst College (1960-1971)
George Arthur Plimpton (1855-1936), American publisher and philanthropist
Shelley Plimpton (b. 1947), American former actress and Broadway performer
Martha Campbell Plimpton (b. 1970), American three-time Primetime Emmy Award and three-time Tony award nominated stage, screen and film actress, singer and former model
George Ames Plimpton (1927-2003), American journalist, writer, literary editor and actor, known for his sports writing and for helping to found The Paris Review, eponym of the Plimpton Prize
Charles Bird Plimpton (1893-1948), English inventor and businessman who invented a plastic building model construction toy named Bayko in 1933 and established Plimpton Engineering to manufacture the toy, which was sold around the world for over 30 years

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
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)