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Thurston History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Citations

Thurston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Thurston belongs to the early history of Britain, it's origins lie with the Anglo-Saxons. It is a product of their having lived in the village of Thurston found in the county of Suffolk. The surname Thurston is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Thurston family

The surname Thurston was first found in Suffolk at Thurston, a parish, in the union of Stow, hundred of Thedwastry. 1 The place name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first listed as Thurstuna. 2

Literally the place name means "farmstead of a man called Thori," from the Viking personal name + the Old English word "tun." 3

It is generally believed that the name originated in this parish. However, the name could have perhaps been derived "from the Teutonic name Turstin, which is found in the Domesday [Book] as the designation of persons both Norman and Saxon. One Turstanus is there described as 'machinator' - probably a military engineer." 4

One of the first on record was Turstin or Thurstan (d. 1140), Archbishop of York, "[he] was son of Anger or Auger, prebendary of St. Paul's, London, by his wife Popelina. His brother Audoen succeeded to his father's prebend, was bishop of Evreux, and died in 1139. Thurstan was a native of Bayeux, and a prebendary of St. Paul's. " 5

Early History of the Thurston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thurston research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thurston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thurston Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Thurston include Thurston, Turston, Thruston, Turstin and others.

Early Notables of the Thurston family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thurston of Suffolk

Thurston Ranking

In the United States, the name Thurston is the 2,189^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 6

Thurston migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Thurston were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Thurston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Daniel Thurston, who settled in New England in 1635
Daniel Thurston, who arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1637 7
Richard Thurston, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 7
Mr. John Thurston, (b. 1607), aged 30, British carpenter from Wrentham, Suffolk departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading to New England 8
Mrs. Margaret Thurston, (b. 1605), aged 32, British settler from Wrentham, Suffolk departing May 1637 from England aboard the ship "Mary Ann" arriving in Boston, Massachusetts, United States on 20 June 1637, heading to New England 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Thurston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Thurston, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 7
Sarah Thurston, who arrived in Virginia in 1743 7
Charles Mynn Thurston, who arrived in Virginia in 1765 7

Thurston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joshua Thurston, who arrived in New York, NY in 1831 7
R Thurston, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
D T Thurston, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 7
B T Thurston, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
C Thurston, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Thurston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Thurston Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Thurston U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 9

Thurston Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century

H Thurston, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1907

Thurston migration to Australia +

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

Thurston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Robert Thurston, British Convict who was convicted in Kent, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Sarah Thurston, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Sir Charles Forbes" in 1839 11
Charles Thurston, aged 58, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 12
William Henry Thurston, aged 36, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 12
Catherine Thurston, aged 13, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Thurston 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:

Thurston Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Thurston, who landed in Wanganui, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Thurston (post 1700) +

Baratunde Rafiq Thurston (b. 1977), American comedian
David Thurston (1918-2013), American aircraft designer
Samuel Royal Thurston (1815-1851), American pioneer, lawyer and politician, Delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives from Oregon Territory (1849-1851)
Robert Henry Thurston (1839-1903), American engineer, the first Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Stevens Institute of Technology
Scott Troy Thurston (b. 1952), American guitarist, keyboardist, songwriter, and session musician, member of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
William Paul Thurston (1946-2012), American mathematician awarded the Fields Medal in 1982
Howard Thurston (1869-1936), American performing magician
Sir John Bates Thurston (1836-1897), English colonial governor, born in London, eldest son of John Noel Thurston of Bath, and Eliza West
John Thurston (1774-1822), English draughtsman, born at Scarborough
Edgar Thurston CIE (1855-1935), Indian superintendent at the Madras Government Museum
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Thurston family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Walter John Thurston (d. 1945), British Marine aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 13

RMS Lusitania

Mr. John Thurston, American 2nd Class passenger from Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 14

The Thurston 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: Esse quam videri
Motto Translation: To be, rather than to seem.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Passengers of the Mary Anne of Yarmouth (Retrieved 18th November 2020). Retrieved from http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/polcrt/MaryAnne.html
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
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SIR CHARLES FORBES (originally Charles Forbes) 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839SirCharlesForbes.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LYSANDER 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Lysander.htm
Force Z Survivors HMS Dorsetshire Crew List, (Retrieved 2018, February 13th), https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listdorsetshirecrew.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/