Contents [hide]

Standing History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Standing History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Standing is part of the ancient legacy of the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is a product of when the family lived in the county of Nottinghamshire in an area that was referred to as stanton, which means stony ground. 1

Standing 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. During the Middle Ages, as society became more complex, individuals needed a way to be distinguishable from others. Toponymic surnames were developed as a result of this need. Various features in the landscape or area were used to distinguish people from one another. In this case the original bearers of the surname Standing were named due to their close proximity to the stanton.

Early Origins of the Standing family

The surname Standing was first found in Nottinghamshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, as Lords of the manor of Staunton. The first Lord was Sir Brian Staunton who was Lord of Staunton during the time of Edward the Confessor in 1047. 2 The family of Staunton of Staunton, in the first-named shire, "can be regularly traced from the time of the Conqueror, and there is no doubt of their having been settled in Nottinghamshire. in the time of Edward the Confessor." 2 "An ancient house, traced to the Conquest" 3

Great East Standen Manor is a manor house on the Isle of Wight that dates to the Norman Conquest; and was once the residence of Princess Cicely (1469-1507). Nearby is Standen House, an English country house but this edifice is more recent and dates back to the 18th century.

Gloucestershire is home to another village named Staunton and this village is almost as old as the former with the first listing found in 972 as Stanton 1 and then later the Domesday Book, 4 mentions a castle there belonging to Roger de Stanton, the foundations of which were cleared away a few years before. 5

Stanton in Northumberland was home to another branch of the family which has fallen. "The ancient manor-house, the seat of the last-named family, has been converted into a house for the reception of the poor; and a chapel which stood a little to the north of it, has altogether disappeared." 5

Hervey de Staunton (died 1327), was an English judge, son of Sir William de Staunton of Staunton, Nottinghamshire. "He seems to have held the living of Soham, Norfolk, as early as 1289: afterwards he held the livings of Thurston and Werbeton, and about 1306, on being ordained priest, received the living of East Derham. In November 1300 there is mention of him as going to the court of Rome. He was a justice itinerant in Cornwall in 1302 and in Durham in 1303." 6

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Alice de Staunton, Lincolnshire; Nicholas de Staunton, Essex; and William de Staunton, Oxfordshire. 7

Early History of the Standing family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Standing research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1600, 1616, 1636, 1639, 1671, 1677, 1681, 1705, 1734, 1785 and 1859 are included under the topic Early Standing History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Standing 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. Standing has been spelled many different ways, including Stanton, Staunton and others.

Early Notables of the Standing family

Distinguished members of the family include Edmund Staunton (Stanton) (1600-1671), an English clergyman, chosen by Parliament as President of Corpus Christi College, Oxford; Thomas Stanton (1616?-1677), English-born, settler to America c. 1636, a trader and...
Another 35 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Standing Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Standing family to Ireland

Some of the Standing family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Standing 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 Standings to arrive in North America:

Standing Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mrs. Standing, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 8
Alex Standing, aged 2, who landed in America, in 1893

Standing Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Geo. Standing, aged 49, who landed in America from London, in 1900
Beatrice Standing, aged 15, who immigrated to the United States from Rochdale, England, in 1907
James A. Standing, aged 6, who landed in America from Rochdale, England, in 1907
Leah Standing, aged 2, who immigrated to the United States from Beverly, England, in 1907
Mary A. Standing, aged 43, who immigrated to America from Rochdale, England, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Standing migration to Australia +

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

Standing Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Standing, English convict who was convicted in Salford, Manchester, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9

Standing 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:

Standing Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Frank Standing, aged 21, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Tongariro" in 1888

Contemporary Notables of the name Standing (post 1700) +

Wyndham Standing (1880-1963), English film actor who appeared in 131 films between 1915 and 1948
Michael John Standing (b. 1981), English former professional footballer
Commander Sir Guy Standing KBE RNVR (1873-1937), English actor
Percy Standing (1882-1950), English silent film actor who appeared in 42 films
Charles Wyndham Standing (1880-1963), English film actor who appeared in 131 films
Sir John Ronald Leon Standing (b. 1934), born John Ronald Leon, 4th Baronet, English actor
Michael Lionel Standing (b. 1939), British actor
Herbert Standing (1846-1923), British stage and screen actor, patriarch of the Standing family of actors

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
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 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa