Show ContentsIron History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 brought much change to the island nation, including many immigrants with new names. Among these immigrants were the ancestors of the Iron family, who lived in Norfolk. Their name, however, derives from their place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Airaines, in Somme, France.1

Early Origins of the Iron family

The surname Iron was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat from very early times and were granted lands by Duke William of Normandy, their liege Lord, for their distinguished assistance at the Battle of Hastings in A.D. 1066.

Early History of the Iron family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Iron research. Another 78 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1548, 1576, 1578 and 1617 are included under the topic Early Iron History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Iron Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years the English language had no fixed system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations occurred commonly in Anglo Norman surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Iron were recorded, including Irons, Kenirons, Hirons, Iron, Hieron and others.

Early Notables of the Iron family

Another 31 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Iron Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Iron family to Ireland

Some of the Iron family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Iron migration to the United States +

The unstable environment in England at this time caused numerous families to board ships and leave in search of opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad in places like Ireland, Australia, and particularly the New World. The voyage was extremely difficult, however, and only taken at great expense. The cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels caused many to arrive diseased and starving, not to mention destitute from the enormous cost. Still opportunity in the emerging nations of Canada and the United States was far greater than at home and many went on to make important contributions to the cultures of their adopted countries. An examination of many early immigration records reveals that people bearing the name Iron arrived in North America very early:

Iron Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Symon Iron, who landed in Virginia in 1653 2
  • John Iron, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 2
Iron Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Iron, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 2
  • Arron Iron, who settled in New England in 1758

Australia Iron migration to Australia +

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

Iron Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Iron, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
  • James Iron, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Hartley" in 1837 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Iron (post 1700) +

  • Captain John Iron,
  • Air Commodore Douglas Iron,
  • Iron Man (1903-1941), American baseball player


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. 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)
  3. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  4. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) HARTLEY 1837. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1837Hartley.htm


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