Contents [hide]

Linton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Linton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Early Origins of the Linton family

The surname Linton was first found in Linton, now West Linton, a village in the Scottish Borders, (formerly in Peeblesshire) not far from East Linton; Linton, a parish of Roxburghshire; or at East Linton, a small burgh in the parish of Prestonkirk, East Lothian. 1

One of the first records of the name was Gamel de Lintun who witnessed a charter by Ernaldus, bishop pf St. Andrews (c. 1160-62.) Magister Roberts de Linton was vicar of Kylelan (c. 1214.) 1

We would be remiss if we didn't take a moment to discuss the "Worm of Linton" or the "Linton Worm." Linton Hill at Linton in Roxburghshire on the Scottish borders was the home of this legendary beast which emerged from its lair at dusk and dawn to eats crops, livestock and people. "Wyrm" is an Old English/Scottish word for serpent which evolved to the more modern term "worm." After many fearful nights, a man of incredible courage, William or John de Somerville, the Laird of Laristin, attacked the worm in its hideout killing it. A stone carving above the door of Linton Church shows this heroic deed.

Further south in England, the earliest records were: Richard de Linton, London who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273; Hugh de Linton, Yorkshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of King Edward I's reign) and Laurencie de Lynton (of Linton) who was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. 2

In England, Linton is a market-town and parish in Cambridgeshire, a township in Derbyshire, a parish in Devon, a hamlet in Gloucestershire, a township in Herefordshire, a parish in Kent and there are two parish so named in Yorkshire. 3

Early History of the Linton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Linton research. Another 157 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1285, 1296, 1348, 1349, 1376, 1411, 1677, 1841, 1884, 1885, 1890 and 1894 are included under the topic Early Linton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Linton, Lynton, Lintern and others.

Early Notables of the Linton family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

Bishop Sydney Linton (1841-1894), the first Bishop of the Diocese of Riverina, Australia...

Linton Ranking

In the United States, the name Linton is the 2,516^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Linton family to Ireland

Some of the Linton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Linton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Linton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Linton, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1630 5
Marg Linton, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 5
Mary Linton, who landed in Virginia in 1657 5
William Linton, who landed in Virginia in 1663-1664 5
Richard Linton, who settled in Virginia in 1663
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Linton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

George Linton, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Linton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. Linton, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1822 5
Archabald Linton, aged 42, who landed in New York, NY in 1834 5
James Linton, who landed in New York in 1835 5
C Linton, aged 25, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1838 5
John Linton, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1838 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Linton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Linton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Linton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774

Linton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Joseph Linton, aged 8, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Margaret Linton, aged 18, who landed in Quebec in 1834
Martha Linton, aged 12, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Thomas Linton, aged 16, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
Anne Linton, aged 4, who arrived in Quebec in 1834
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Linton migration to Australia +

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

Linton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Moses Linton, (Mason, George), British Convict who was convicted in Lincolnshire, England for 14 years , transported aboard the "Commodore Hayes" in April 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Thomas Linton, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for life, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Samuel Linton, (b. 1829), aged 13, English shoe maker who was convicted in London, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Elphinstone" on 28th July 1842, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1906 8
Michael Linton, aged 27, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Sea Queen" 9
Michael Linton, aged 27, a labourer, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sea Queen" in 1850 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Linton 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:

Linton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Alexander Linton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Algoa Bay" in 1881
Adam Linton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Algoa Bay" in 1881
William Linton, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Algoa Bay" in 1881

Linton 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. 10

Linton Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Francis Linton, who landed in Jamaica in 1743 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Linton (post 1700) +

David Linton (1815-1889), one of eight founders of Beta Theta Pi, a prominent college fraternity founded at Miami University in 1839
William S. Linton (1856-1927), U.S. Representative from Michigan
Tom Linton (b. 1975), American guitarist
Ralph Linton (1893-1953), American anthropologist
William James Linton (1812-1897), Anglo-American wood engraver, author, and political reformer
James N. Linton, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1936, 1940, 1952 11
Gladys M. Linton, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Tennessee, 1980 11
Dwayne Linton, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 1972 11
Dorothy Linton, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1960; Member of New York Republican State Committee, 1961 11
Benjamin F. Linton, American politician, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, 1830-41; U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana, 1838-41 11
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Linton family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Isaac Linton, Irish Fireman from County Down, Ireland, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking and was recovered 12

USS Arizona

Mr. George Edward Linton, American Fireman Second Class from Wyoming, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 13

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th March 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/commodore-hayes
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 23rd March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elphinstone
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SEA QUEEN 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850SeaQueen.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html