Single History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Of all the Anglo-Saxon names to come from Britain, Single is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived in the village of Singleton found in the counties of Lancashire and Sussex. The surname Single is a habitation surname which was originally derived from pre-exiting names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The literal meaning of the surname Single is farm in the burnt clearing from the Old English word sengel. 1

Early Origins of the Single family

The surname Single was first found in Lancashire at Singleton-in-the-Fylde (Singleton), a chapelry, in the parish of Kirkham, union of the Fylde, hundred of Amounderness or in Sussex at Singleton, a parish, in the union of West Hampnett, hundred of Westbourn and Singleton.

The Lancashire chapelry seems to point to the family's origin as in "Singleton (Lancashire) is mentioned in the Domesday Survey, and was once the property of a family of the local name" 2 and "a parish in Sussex, and a chapelry in Lancashire. The latter was long possessed by a very ancient family. " 3

The chapelry was recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Singletun 4 and in 1185 as Sengelton. 1 The township of Thornley cum Wheatley in Lancashire was once held by the family. "Thomas, Earl of Derby, in the 14th of Henry VII., purchased the manor of Thornley-cum-Wheatley from Charles Singleton." 2

Warton in Lancashire was also an early home of the family. "In the 7th of Henry VIII. the manor of Warton was held by Richard Singleton, of Broughton Tower." 2

Early History of the Single family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Single research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1543, 1544, 1618, 1637, 1640, 1677 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Single History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Single Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Single has been spelled many different ways, including Singleton, Singleturn, Shingleton and others.

Early Notables of the Single family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Robert or John Singleton (d. 1544), an English Roman Catholic divine who belonged to a Lancashire family and was educated at Oxford, but does not appear to have graduated. "He became a priest, and for...
William Singleton (died 1677) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640, Sheriff of Gloucester in 1618 and Mayor of Gloucester in 1637

Migration of the Single family to Ireland

Some of the Single family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 84 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Single migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Singles to arrive in North America:

Single Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johannes Single, aged 34, who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andaira Valley" 5
Mrs. Barbara Single, aged 41, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andaira Valley"
Miss Bertha Single, aged 8, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andaira Valley"
Mr. Auguste Single, aged 9, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andaira Valley"
Mr. Wilhelm Single, aged 4, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Andaira Valley"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Single 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:

Single Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Single, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merchantman' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand and Auckland New Zealand on 6th September 1855 6
Mrs. Single, British settler travelling from London with 3 children aboard the ship 'Merchantman' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand and Auckland New Zealand on 6th September 1855 6

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html