Purington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancient history of the Purington name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the region of Partington. Purington is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Purington family

The surname Purington was first found in Cheshire at Partington, a township, in the parish of Bowdon, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow. 1 The place name dates back to at least 1220 when it was first listed as Pattingham. Literally, it means "homestead of the family or followers of a man called P(e)atta," from the Old English personal name + "inga" or "ing" + "ham." 2 "This surname is well known in South Lancashire." 3

"The Partingtons are best represented in the Manchester district. There is a Cheshire township thus called. There are also Partingtons in Worcestershire." 4

Early History of the Purington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Purington research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Purington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purington Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Purington include Partington, Partingtone and others.

Early Notables of the Purington family

More information is included under the topic Early Purington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Purington Ranking

In the United States, the name Purington is the 16,769^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Purington migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Purington or a variant listed above:

Purington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Purington, who landed in New Hampshire in 1665 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Purington (post 1700) +

Arthur K. Purington, American Republican politician, Member of Maine Republican State Committee, 1928

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. 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)