Constantine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

In the 18th and 19th centuries hundreds of thousands of Irish people immigrated to North American shores. The early settlers were enticed by the promise of their own land, but they were moderately well off in Ireland when they decided to emigrate. Therefore, they were merely carrying out a long and carefully thought out decision. The 1840s saw the emergence of a very different trend: thousands of extremely desperate people crammed into passenger boats hoping to find any type of opportunity. The Irish of this decade had seen their homeland severely stricken by crop failures which resulted in widespread disease and starvation. At whatever time the Irish immigrants came to North America, they were instrumental in the rapid development of the emerging nations of the United States and what would become known as Canada. An exhaustive search of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many persons bearing the name Constantine, or one of its variants:

Constantine Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

• Jon. Constantine, who settled in Virginia in 1637
• Thomas Constantine, who landed in Maryland in 1675 2
• Conrad Constantine, who landed in Delaware in 1693 2

Constantine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

• Jean Constantine, who settled in Virginia in 1700
• Tho Constantine, who arrived in Virginia in 1700 2
• Nicholas Constantine, who arrived in New York in 1798 2

Constantine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

• Antonio Constantine, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1816 2
• Francisco Constantine, who landed in Mobile County, Ala in 1835 2
• John Constantine, aged 38, who arrived in New York in 1854 2
• John Constantine, who settled in New York in 1854
• Lefter Constantine, who landed in Texas in 1890 2
• ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Constantine Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

• Jane Constantine, who emigrated from Ireland to Saint John, New Brunswick in 1842
• Miss. Bridget Constantine who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Horatio" departing 18th July 1847 from Limerick, Ireland; the ship arrived on 3rd September 1847 but she died on board 3

Constantine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

• William Constantine, English convict from Middlesex, who was transported aboard the "Asia" on September 3rd, 1820, settling in New South Wales, Australia 4
• Mr. Francis Constantine, British Shoe Maker who was convicted in North Riding, Yorkshire, England for 10 years for larceny, transported aboard the "Asia" on 25th April 1840, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1868 5
• Mr. John Constantine, (b. 1819), aged 25, English labourer who was convicted in Yorkshire, England for 15 years for highway robbery, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 9th May 1844, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1877 6
• Joseph Constantine, English convict from Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 7
• Sarah Constantine, aged 59, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Navarino" 8

Constantine Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

• Mr. Robert Constantine, (b. 1813), aged 26, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 9
• Mrs. Constantine, (b. 1819), aged 20, British settler travelling from London with 2 children aboard the ship "Oriental" arriving in Port Nicholson, Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1840 9
• M.A. Constantine, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Ashburton" in 1857

Constantine Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

• Charles Constantine, who arrived in Barbados in 1677

• Justin Constantine (d. 2022), American lieutenant colonel in the United States Marine Corps, attorney and inspirational speaker
• Thomas A. Constantine (1938-2015), American Administrator for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) (1994-1999)
• Mildred Constantine (1913-2008), American curator at Museum of Modern Art
• Storm Constantine (1956-2021), British science fiction and fantasy author, primarily known for her Wraeththu series
• Eddie Constantine (1917-1993), born Edward Constantinowsky, American movie actor, singer, and novelist who appeared in 127 features
• Learie Nicholas Constantine (1902-1971), Baron Constantine, West Indian cricket player and statesman, Trinidad's High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, the UK's first black peer
• Michael Constantine (b. 1927), American Emmy Award winning actor, probably best known for his role as the high school principal, Seymour Kaufman, on ABC's sitcom, Room 222
• Major-General Charles Francis Constantine (1883-1953), District Officer Commanding 2nd Military District (1940-1943) 11
• Ventan Constantine Yablonski (1923-2008), American football fullback who played four seasons with the Chicago Cardinals (1948-1951)
• Fotis Constantine Kafatos FRS (1940-2017), Greek biologist, founding president of the European Research Council (ERC)