Show ContentsBileston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Bileston is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in one of several places called Bilton in the counties of Northumberland, Warwickshire, Essex, or Yorkshire.

Early Origins of the Bileston family

The surname Bileston was first found in Yorkshire at Bilton, a chapelry, in the parish of Swine, union of Skirlaugh, Middle division of the wapentake of Holderness. "This place, called in Domesday Book Biletone, at an early period gave name to a family resident here." 1 As previous mentioned, there are numerous places name Bilton and part of the reason is that the place name literally means "farmstead of a man called Bill or Billa." 2 Bilston(e) is similarly popular with places in Staffordshire and Leicestershire.

Early History of the Bileston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bileston research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the year 1650 is included under the topic Early Bileston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bileston 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 Bileston family name include Bilton, Biltoune, Bilston, Bilson, Bilsden and many more.

Early Notables of the Bileston family

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

Migration of the Bileston family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Bileston surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John Bilson who settled in Virginia in 1654; Stafford Bilson settled in Virginia in 1653; William Bilson settled in New England in 1752; Henry Billson settled in Philadelphia in 1868..



  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)


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