Show ContentsBooth History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Booth Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Booth

What does the name Booth mean?

The Booth family name dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name comes from when an early member worked as a herdsman. The surname Booth is derived from the Old English word bothe, which in turn comes from the Old Danish word both, which means cow-house or herdsman's hut. 1

Early Origins of the Booth family

The surname Booth was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first listings of the name was Gilbert Bothe, del Both in 1274. 2 This line continued to be strong as the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 attest through the listing of: Rogerus del Boothe; Adam de Bothe; and Margeria de Bothe as all living there and holding lands at that time. 3

"The great family of Booth of Lancashire and Cheshire take their designation from their lordship of Booths in the former county, where they resided in the XIII century." 4 Indeed the Lancashire branch is of note as in "Booth as a surname, has strongly ramified in South Lancashire. " 3

Over in Barton-Upon-Irwell in Lancashire another branch of the family was found. "Barton Old Hall, a brick edifice, now a farmhouse, was the seat successively of the Barton, Booth, and Leigh families." 5

Early History of the Booth family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Booth research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1566, 1622, 1626, 1652, 1675, 1678, 1680, 1684, 1685, 1689, 1690, 1694, 1700, 1758, 1890 and 1916 are included under the topic Early Booth History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Booth Spelling Variations

Booth has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Many variations of the name Booth have been found, including Booth, Boothe and others.

Early Notables of the Booth family

  • Sir George Booth, 1st Baronet of Dunham Massey (1566-1652), Sheriff of Lancashire and Cheshire
  • George Booth, 2nd Baronet of Dunham Massey, 1st Baron Delamer (1622-1684), Member of the House of Lords, an English peer
  • Henry Booth, 1st Earl of Warrington (1652-1694), Member of Parliament for Cheshire (1678-1685), Chancellor of the Exchequer (1689-1690)
  • George Booth, 2nd Earl of Warrington (1675-1758)
  • Sir Robert Booth (1626-1680), an English judge in Ireland, Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas and Lord Chief Justice of the King's Bench in Ireland
  • George Booth (died 1700), an English pirate who was one of the earliest active in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea during the late 17th century

Booth World Ranking

the United States, the name Booth is the 590th most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. 6 However, in Canada, the name Booth is ranked the 723rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,421 people with that name. 7 And in Australia, the name Booth is the 276th popular surname with an estimated 12,538 people with that name. 8 New Zealand ranks Booth as 185th with 2,970 people. 9 The United Kingdom ranks Booth as 139th with 36,558 people. 10

Migration of the Booth family to Ireland

Some of the Booth family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 79 words (6 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Booth migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Booths to arrive on North American shores:

Booth Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Reynold Booth, aged 32, who arrived in Virginia in 1609 aboard the ship "Hercules" 12
  • Reynold Booth, who landed in Virginia in 1623 12
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Booth, aged 24 who arrived in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Anne" 12
  • Henry Booth, aged 20, who landed in Virginia in 1623 aboard the ship "Dutie" 12
  • John Booth, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 12
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Booth Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Booth, who landed in Virginia in 1705 12
  • Thomas Booth, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 12
  • Cath Booth, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 12
  • John Booth, who arrived in Virginia in 1715 12
Booth Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James M Booth, who landed in Ohio in 1811 12
  • Joseph Booth, who landed in America in 1812 12
  • Abraham Booth, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 12
  • James Booth, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 12
  • Thomas Booth who settled in Virginia was a descendant of the Earl of Warrington
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Booth migration to Canada +

Booth Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • William Booth, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
  • Mr. Abner Booth U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 13
  • Mr. Benjamin Booth U.E. who settled in Ernestown, Lennox & Addington, Ontario c. 1783 13
  • Mr. Bethea Booth U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 13
  • Mr. Charles Booth U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1783 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Booth Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Elizabeth Booth, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1815
  • Mr. John Booth, aged 5 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Julius Caesar" departing 13th July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 5th September 1847 but he died on board 14
  • Mr. Robert Booth, aged 60 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Elliotts" departing 14th May 1847 from Dublin, Ireland; the ship arrived on 30th June 1847 but he died on board 14
Booth Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Mr. Egill Booth, Norwegian settler who sailed aboard the ship "Stavangerfjord" arriving in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada in 1951

Booth migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the Second Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Second Fleet
Following the Second Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Booth Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Joseph Booth, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
Booth Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr.John Booth, British settler who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 14 years for theft, transported aboard the "Fortune" on 31st October 1812, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 16
  • Thomas Booth, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 17
  • Mr. Joseph Booth, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 18
  • Mr. Thomas Booth, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 18
  • Mr. Edward Booth, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 6th April 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 19
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Booth 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:

Booth Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • James Booth, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • James Booth, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1840
  • James Booth, aged 21, a slate dresser, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
  • Mary Ann Booth, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Arab" in 1841
  • Charles Fane Booth, aged 36, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1842
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Booth 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. 20
Booth Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Mr. Gregorie Booth, (b. 1617), aged 18, British settler travelling from Gravesend, England aboard the ship "Falcon" arriving in Barbados in 1636 21

Contemporary Notables of the name Booth (post 1700) +

  • John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865), American actor and assassin of President Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, D.C., on April 14, 1865
  • George Booth (1926-2022), American cartoonist for the New Yorker magazine, born in Cainsville, Missouri
  • Harry Booth (1941-2022), American college baseball and college basketball head coach for the Saint Joseph's Hawks, eponym of the Harry Booth Award
  • William E. Booth, American politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from Livingston County, 1900; Candidate for Presidential Elector for New York, 1900; Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 34th District, 1902 22
  • William S. Booth, American politician, Mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, 1883-84 23
  • William L. Booth, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1964 23
  • William J. Booth, American Democratic Party politician, Member of New Hampshire State House of Representatives from Manchester 6th Ward; Elected 1938 23
  • William H. Booth, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Ohio State House of Representatives from Monroe County; Elected 1897 23
  • William H. Booth, American politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives from Dallas County, 1903-04; Member of Missouri State Senate 19th District, 1909-12 23
  • ... (Another 117 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
HMAS Sydney II
  • Mr. Ernest Albert Booth (1921-1941), Australian Able Seaman from South Yarra, Victoria, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 23
  • Frank Augustus Booth, British Lieutenant aboard the HMS Dorsetshire (1945) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 24
  • Mr. George H Booth (b. 1917), English Stoker 2nd Class serving for the Royal Navy from Hull, Yorkshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 25
  • Mr. George Booth, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 26
  • Mr. Douglas Booth, British Able Bodied Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and died in the sinking 27
  • ... (Another 11 entries are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Booth 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: Deus adjuvat nos
Motto Translation: God assists us.
  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  5. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
  8. "Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
  9. "Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
  10. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  11. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  12. 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)
  13. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  14. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 65)
  15. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  16. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au
  17. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
  18. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  19. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
  20. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  21. Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 28th September 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  22. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, April 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  23. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp
  24. Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
  25. H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
  26. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html

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