Show ContentsAirington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Airington is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived at a local named Harrington, in Cumberland. Today, Harrington is on the Cumbrian coast with a population of about 5000. There is a small hamlet named Harrington in Lincolnshire and a small village and civil parish in Northamptonshire so named. The name was derived from the Old English Hoeferingtun which meant "settlement associated with Hoefer" or "settlement on stony ground". 1

Early Origins of the Airington family

The surname Airington was first found in Cumberland, where the first record of the name was Robert de Heverington in the reign of Richard I (1189-1199). William de Harinton was listed in the Assize Rolls on Lancashire in 1202 and Richard de Harington was listed in the Rotuli Hundredorum of 1274. John Harington was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327. 2 A few years later, Ricardus de Heryngton was listed in the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379. 3

Early History of the Airington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Airington research. Another 154 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1275, 1328, 1347, 1357, 1363, 1406, 1523, 1539, 1560, 1607, 1611, 1612, 1613, 1627, 1646, 1653, 1654, 1655, 1656, 1664, 1674, 1677, 1680, 1693 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Airington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Airington Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Airington family name include Harrington, Harington and others.

Early Notables of the Airington family

Distinguished members of the family include John Harington, 1st Baron Harington (d. 1347); John Harington, 2nd Baron Harington (1328-1363); Robert Harington, 3rd Baron Harington (1357-1406); Sir James Harrington or Harington, 3rd Baronet of Ridlington (1607-1680), an English Member of Parliament for Rutland (1646-1653) and Middlesex (1654-1655); and John Harrington (1627-1700), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Somerset in 1654.William Harrington (d. 1523), was an English divine, son of William Harrington, of Newbigging, Cumberland. 4Sir John Harington (or Harrington) (1560-1612), of Kelston, was an English courtier, author and translator, popularly known as the inventor of the flush toilet. He became prominent...
Another 144 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Airington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Airington family to Ireland

Some of the Airington 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.

Migration of the Airington family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Airington surname or a spelling variation of the name include: Edward Harrington who arrived in Virginia in 1606; 14 years before the "Mayflower"; Charles Harrington settled in Virginia in 1663; Elias Harrington settled in Virginia in 1635.


Contemporary Notables of the name Airington (post 1700) +

  • Michael Airington, American comic, actor, writer, voice artist and producer, known for An Evening with Paul Lynde (2006), Do I Sound Gay? (2014) and Politics Is a Drag (2015-)


  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  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)
  4. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print


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