Contents [hide]

Batson History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Batson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The Batson name is an important part of the history of the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Batson is derived from the given name Bartholomew, of which it is a diminutive form. 1 2 3

Early Origins of the Batson family

The surname Batson was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066. One of the first notables of the family was Henry Bate or Hendrik Baten (of Mechelen or of Malines) (1246- c.1310) a Flemish philosopher, theologian, astronomer, astrologer, poet, and musician.

The more common plural version of today, "Bates" is rather recent. Frequently used in the singular form as both a forename and surname, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included the following, all in Lincolnshire: Bate de Butwick; Bate le Tackman; and Bathe filius Robert. Further to the north in Yorkshire, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Alicia Bate; and Adam Bate. 4

Again in Yorkshire, we found two entries for the name Bate (no first name), one in 1275 and the other in 1286. 5

Other early rolls note Rogerus filius Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327; Roger Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275; and Richard Bates in Yorkshire in 1297. Thomas del Bate was found in Northumberland in 1270 and William of Ye Bate in the Subsidy Rolls for Yorkshire in 1297. For these last two entires, the name may be derived from the Northern Middle English word "bat," meaning "boat," used for a boatman. 5

"This surname has two principal centres, one in the counties of Leicester, Rutland, and Warwick, and the other in Kent. Prom these centres it has extended to the adjoining counties; but it is essentially a midland and eastern county name. In other parts of England its place is supplied by other forms of the name, or by other derivatives of Bartholomew. Thus, in Cornwall we find Bate, in Dorset and adjacent counties we have numbers of Bartletts, in Yorkshire Batty, in Northumberland Batey, in Oxon Batts, in Notts Bartle, etc. The original name of Bartholomew is now mostly found in the counties of Kent and Lincoln; but in its numerous derivative forms it is scattered over the land." 6

Early History of the Batson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Batson research. Another 119 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1415, 1429, 1580, 1599, 1608, 1620, 1625, 1626, 1668, 1682, 1699, 1700, 1877 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Batson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Batson Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Batson were recorded, including Bates, Batts, Bats, Bate, Bateson, Baits, Baites, Baytes and many more.

Early Notables of the Batson family

Notables of this surname at this time include: John Bate (died 1429), an English or Welsh theologian and philosopher. He is thought to have been born west of the River Severn, but was probably brought up in the Carmelite monastery at York. He was ordained sub-deacon and deacon in March and May 1415 by Clifford, Bishop of London. 7William Bates (1625-1699) was an English Presbyterian minister from London, Royal Chaplain to Charles II; and George...
Another 75 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Batson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Batson Ranking

In the United States, the name Batson is the 4,101^st most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 8

Migration of the Batson family to Ireland

Some of the Batson 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.

Batson migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Batson family emigrate to North America:

Batson Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Stephen Batson, who landed in Maine in 1636 9
Edward Batson, who landed in Maryland in 1679 9

Batson Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Elizabeth Batson, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 9
Abraham Batson, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 9
Rose Batson, who arrived in North Carolina in 1701 9
Anne Batson, who arrived in Virginia in 1704 9

Batson Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Josiah Batson, who landed in New York in 1830 9
John Batson, who arrived in New York in 1831 9
Thomas Chew Batson, who landed in New York in 1831 9
Mr. John Batson, (b. 1821), aged 19, English miner departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 10
Mr. Thomas Batson, (b. 1819), aged 21, English miner departing from England aboard the ship "Royal Adelaide" arriving in the United States on 21st April 1840 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Batson migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Batson Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Amos G Batson, who arrived in Canada in 1841
Samuel L Batson, who arrived in Canada in 1841
Thomas D Batson, who arrived in Canada in 1841

Batson migration to Australia +

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

Batson Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Gibson Batson, English convict who was convicted in Stafford, Staffordshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Dromedary" on 11th September 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
James Batson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Phoebe" in 1846 12
William Batson, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Theresa" in 1847 13

Batson migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 14

Batson Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Batson, who arrived in Barbados in 1680 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Batson (post 1700) +

Wayne Thomas Batson (b. 1968), American writer
Ruth M. Batson (1921-2003), American civil rights and education activist
Captain Matthew Arlington Batson (1866-1917), United States Army Officer who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine-American War
Felix Ives Batson (1819-1871), prominent American lawyer and politician
Daniel Batson (b. 1943), American social psychologist

The Batson Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Et manu et corde
Motto Translation: Both with hand and heart.

Citations +

Dixon, Bernard Homer, Surnames. London: John Wilson and son, 1857. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to New York 1820 - 1891 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_new_york_1820_1891.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dromedary
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) PHEOBE/PHOEBE 1845. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1846Phoebe.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) THERESA 1847. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1847Theresa.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies