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Templeton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Templeton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The age-old Scottish surname Templeton was first used by the Strathclyde-Briton people. The Templeton family lived at the village of Templeton in the county of Ayrshire.

Early Origins of the Templeton family

The surname Templeton was first found in Ayrshire and Lanarkshire, but the name was "probably derived from Templeton near Dundonald, Ayrshire." 1

"Gilbertus de Tempilton, rector of the church of Rothir (Rothesay) in 1295 is probably Mestre (Master) Gilbert de Templeton of the county of Arne who rendered homage for his possessions in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]." 1

Further to the south in England, the name denoted someone "who came from Templeton (manor belonging to the Knights Templars), the name of places in Berkshire and Devonshire." 2 The parish of Templeton, in the union of Tiverton, hundred of Witheridge, Collumpton and N. divisions of Devon " belonged to the Knights Templars, and afterwards to the Hospitallers of St. John." 3

Early History of the Templeton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Templeton research. Another 138 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1320, 1491, 1499, 1500, 1676, 1764, 1766, 1784, 1802, 1822, 1825, 1828, 1858, 1885, 1886 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Templeton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Templeton Spelling Variations

In Medieval times, spelling and translation were not nearly so highly developed as today. They were generally carried out according to the sound and intuition of the bearer. For that reason spelling variations are extremely common among early Scottish names. Templeton has been spelled Templeton, Tempilton, Templeton, Temperton and many more.

Early Notables of the Templeton family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Templeton (1802-1886), Scottish tenor vocalist, son of Robert Templeton, born at Riccarton, near Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, on 30 July 1802. He had a fine voice as a boy, and, joining his eldest broth...
James Templeton, (d. 1885) a farmer's son born in the Campbeltown area in 1802 founded James Templeton & Co, a Glasgow-based textile company that grew to become one of the leading carpet manufacturers...

Templeton Ranking

In the United States, the name Templeton is the 2,406^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4 However, in New Zealand, the name Templeton is ranked the 905^th most popular surname with an estimated 813 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Templeton family to Ireland

Some of the Templeton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Templeton migration to the United States +

Unrest, poverty, and persecution caused thousands to look for opportunity and freedom in the North American colonies. The crossing was long, overcrowded, and unsanitary, though, and came only at great expense. Many Strathclyde families settled on the east coast of North America in communities that would form the backbone of what would become the great nations of the United States and Canada. The American War of Independence caused those who remained loyal to England to move north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In the 20th century, Strathclyde and other Scottish families across North America began to recover their collective heritage through highland games and Clan societies. Among them:

Templeton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Templeton, who landed in New Jersey in 1685 6

Templeton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam Templeton, who landed in New England in 1735 6
Janet Templeton, who arrived in New England in 1735 6
Allen Templeton, who arrived in New England in 1736-1737 6
Margaret Templeton, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1746 6
John Templeton, who settled in New England in 1771
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Templeton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Templeton, who settled in New York State in 1804 along with Jane
Jane Templeton, aged 18, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 6
Edw Templeton, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1804 6
Isabella Templeton, aged 36, who arrived in Barnstable, Massachusetts in 1822 6
John Templeton, who landed in New York in 1822 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Templeton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Templeton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Robert Templeton, who landed in Canada in 1828

Templeton Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

Robert Templeton of Glen Luce in Scotland died in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1904 7

Templeton migration to Australia +

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

Templeton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Templeton, (b. 1826), aged 13, Scottish carpenter who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years for theft, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 8th December 1839, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1865 8
Mary Templeton, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Admiral Boxer"
Sarah Templeton, aged 19, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
Elizabeth Templeton, aged 18, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Fitzjames"
Mr. Arthur Templeton, English convict who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 15 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Templeton 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:

Templeton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Ellen Templeton, (b. 1839), aged 25, British settler travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 10
Mr. William Templeton, (b. 1841), aged 23, British Ploughman travelling from Gravesend, UK aboard the ship "British Empire" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 6th September 1864 10
Samuel Henry Templeton, aged 22, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Apelles" in 1874
Miss Agnes Templeton, (b. 1857), aged 21, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Invercargill" arriving in New Zealand on 2nd October 1878, en-route to Ivercargill, South Island, New Zealand 10
Mr. William Templeton, (b. 1846), aged 33, Irish porter, from Antrim travelling from Clyde aboard the ship "Nelson" arriving in Invercargill, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 28th August 1879 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Templeton (post 1700) +

Fay Templeton (1865-1939), American stage actress
James M. Templeton, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Governor of North Carolina, 1892
James M. Templeton, American politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Atchison County, 1875-76
James A. Templeton, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Hudson County, 1921
Jai Jeffrey Templeton (b. 1972), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Tennessee, 2004
J. S. Templeton, American Republican politician, Member of Illinois Republican State Central Committee, 1925
J. M. Templeton Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Wake County, 1921-22
David A. Templeton, American Republican politician, Postmaster at Washington, Pennsylvania, 1906-10
Charles Augustus Templeton (1871-1955), American Republican politician, Merchant; Member of Connecticut State Senate 15th District, 1919-20; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Connecticut, 1920; Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, 1921-23; Governor of Connecticut, 1923-25
Chambers O. Templeton, American Republican politician, Member of Pennsylvania State Senate 30th District, 1907-10
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Templeton family +

Mount Mulligan Mine

Robert Templeton, Australian coal miner who was killed in the Mount Mulligan Mine explosion in 1921

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. 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/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html