Show ContentsApplethwaite History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Applethwaite first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the township of Applethwaite, which was in the parish of Windermere in Westmorland (now part of Cumbria). There were also places with this name in Cumberland and in Suffolk, where the first instances of the surname Applethwaite were found. In Old English, applethwaite meant an apple orchard or an area of land cleared for growing apples. 1 2

Early Origins of the Applethwaite family

The surname Applethwaite was first found in the county of Suffolk in south eastern England. One of the first records of the family was Stephen Appeltheit who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1327. Later Robert Apylweyte was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Suffolk in 1524. 3

Early History of the Applethwaite family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Applethwaite research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1629, 1630, 1646, 1660, 1668, 1674, 1678 and 1906 are included under the topic Early Applethwaite History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Applethwaite Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Applethwaite has appeared include Applethwaite, Applewhite, Applewaite, Applewait, Apelwhite, Eppelwhite, Epplethwaite and many more.

Early Notables of the Applethwaite family

More information is included under the topic Early Applethwaite Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Applethwaite migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Applethwaite arrived in North America very early:

Applethwaite Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Henry Applethwaite, who landed in Virginia in 1670 4


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. 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)


Houseofnames.com on Facebook