Show ContentsSingletary History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Singletary is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in the village of Singleton found in the counties of Lancashire and Sussex. The surname Singletary is a habitation surname which was originally derived from pre-exiting names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The literal meaning of the surname Singletary is farm in the burnt clearing from the Old English word sengel. [1]

Early Origins of the Singletary family

The surname Singletary 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 Singletary family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Singletary 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 Singletary History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Singletary 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 Singletary were recorded, including Singleton, Singleturn, Shingleton and others.

Early Notables of the Singletary 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 some utterances which were accounted treasonable was brought...
Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Singletary Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Singletary Ranking

In the United States, the name Singletary is the 2,241st most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. [5]

Ireland Migration of the Singletary family to Ireland

Some of the Singletary 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.


United States Singletary 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 Singletary family emigrate to North America:

Singletary Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Richard Singletary, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 [6]
Singletary Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Charles Singletary, aged 28, who landed in America, in 1914
  • William Singletary, aged 40, who immigrated to the United States, in 1915
  • H. Singletary, aged 42, who settled in America, in 1920
  • William Singletary, aged 52, who settled in America, in 1921
  • H.B. Singletary, aged 44, who landed in America, in 1922

Contemporary Notables of the name Singletary (post 1700) +

  • Daryle Bruce Singletary (1971-2018), American country music singer from Cairo, Georgia
  • Tony Singletary, American television director
  • Sean Singletary (b. 1985), American professional basketball player
  • Otis A. Singletary (1921-2003), historian and university administrator 8th president of the University of Kentucky
  • Mike Singletary (b. 1958), former American football player, and former head coach of the San Francisco 49ers
  • Kathleen Singletary, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 2008 [7]
  • John C. Singletary, American politician, Mayor of Akron, Ohio, 1837-38 [7]
  • Jonathan Singletary Dunham (1640-1724), American settler of Woodbridge, New Jersey, who built the first gristmill in New Jersey


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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