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Show ContentsSingleton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
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Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

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The lineage of the name Singleton begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the village of Singleton found in the counties of Lancashire and Sussex. The surname Singleton is a habitation surname which was originally derived from pre-exiting names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The literal meaning of the surname Singleton is farm in the burnt clearing from the Old English word sengel. 1

Early Origins of the Singleton family

The surname Singleton 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 Singleton family

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

Singleton Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Singleton has undergone many spelling variations, including Singleton, Singleturn, Shingleton and others.

Early Notables of the Singleton 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...
  • William Singleton (died 1677) was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1640, Sheriff of Gloucester in 1618 and Mayor of Gloucester in 1637

Singleton Ranking

In the United States, the name Singleton is the 484th most popular surname with an estimated 59,688 people with that name. 5 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Singleton is ranked the 815th most popular surname with an estimated 8,301 people with that name. 6

Ireland Migration of the Singleton family to Ireland

Some of the Singleton 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 Singleton migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Singleton were among those contributors:

Singleton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mary Singleton, who arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1625 7
  • Joe Singleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1635
  • Jo Singleton, aged 18, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas & John" 7
  • Henry Singleton, who landed in Virginia in 1637 7
  • John Singleton and Henry Singleton, who settled in Virginia in 1651
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Singleton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jos Singleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 7
  • Joseph Singleton, who landed in Virginia in 1704 7
  • Elianor Singleton, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 7
  • William Singleton, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
  • Matthew Singleton, who landed in Virginia in 1752 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Singleton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Able Singleton, who landed in America in 1830 7
  • Dan'l Singleton, aged 17, who arrived in Key West, Fla in 1844 7
  • William Singleton, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 7
  • David Singleton, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1851 7
  • Samuel S Singleton, who landed in St Clair County, III in 1857 7
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Singleton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Singleton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Capt. George Singleton U.E. who settled in Thurlow [Belleville], Hastings County, Ontario c. 1786 he served in the Royal Regiment of New York 8

Australia Singleton migration to Australia +

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

Singleton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Nathan Singleton who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st March 1831, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
  • Mr. Richard Singleton, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
  • William Singleton, aged 19, a blacksmith, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Joseph Soames" 11
  • William Singleton, aged 19, a blacksmith, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Joseph Somes" in 1850 12
  • Miss Julia Singleton, (Julian), (b. 1830), aged 21, Irish house maid who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Blackfriar" on 24th January 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 13
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Singleton 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:

Singleton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr Singleton, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1841
  • Dr. Singleton, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Josephine Willis" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1855 14
  • John Singleton, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Shamrock" in 1856
  • Miss Catherine Singleton, (b. 1842), aged 20, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship "Echunga" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 24th December 1862 14
  • Jane Singleton, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Chile" in 1866
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Singleton (post 1700) +

  • John Daniel Singleton (1968-2019), American Academy Award nominated film director, screenwriter, and producer, best known for his ground-breaking film "Boyz n the Hood" at the age of 24, the first African American and youngest person to have ever been nominated for an Oscar Award
  • Gilbert Jerome "Gib" Singleton (1935-2014), American sculptor
  • Doris Singleton (1919-2012), American actress, best known for her role as Carolyn Appleby, in I Love Lucy
  • Chris Singleton (b. 1989), American NBA player for the Washington Wizar
  • Chris Singleton (b. 1972), American Major League Baseball center fielder
  • Chris Singleton (b. 1967), American NFL football player
  • Shelby Singleton (1931-2009), American record producer and record label owner
  • Arthur James "Zutty" Singleton (1898-1975), American early jazz drummer
  • William Dean Singleton (b. 1951), American newspaper executive, chairman of the board of directors of the Associated Press
  • James Alexander Singleton (b. 1981), American professional basketball player
  • ... (Another 45 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Arrow Air Flight 1285
  • Mr. Earl Singleton (1955-1985), American Sergeant from Hugger, South Carolina, USA who died in the Arrow Air Flight 1285 crash 15
North Sea Flood
  • Charles Singleton, British worker aboard the trawler "Michael Griffith" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
  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. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  7. 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)
  8. 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
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
  10. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  11. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
  12. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) JOSEPH SOMES / SOAMES 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850JosephSomes.htm
  13. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/blackfriar
  14. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  15. American War Memorials - Flight 1285. (Retrieved 2016, August 24) . Retrieved from http://www.uswarmemorials.org/html/monument_details.php?SiteID=317&MemID=550
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