Contents [hide]

Denton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Denton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Denton family

The surname Denton was first found in Northumberland where they the first record of the name was a considerable time before the Norman Conquest when Aelfweard Dentune held manor and lands in that county in 972. 1 However, they are also traditionally understood to be a branch of the Barons of Tatershall, descended from Eudo, a companion of the Conqueror. 2

Continuing this line, Linmouth in Northumberland was an ancient family seat. "This township, which comprises about 300 acres, derives its name from its situation near the influx of the river Line into the ocean. In 1240, John, son of Robert Rue, held the place by military service; and in the 11th of Edward III. the Countess of Pembroke conveyed it to John de Denton, burgess of Newcastle." 3

Denton Hall, located in Denton, a hamlet and civil parish in the Harrogate district of North Yorkshire is home to "a large colony" 4 of the name. The name Denton literally means "farmstead or village in a valley" derived from the Old English "denu" + "tun." Accordingly, there are many listings in the Domesday Book of the name with various spellings including Dentone, Denetun, Danetone, Dentuna, Dentun and Dodintone. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, the family claim descent from "the old barony of Denton in Dumfriesshire. Alan de Denton was juror on an inquest held at Gerwan (Girvan) in 1260. In 1329, Elizabet de Denton received a legacy from the crown. 6

Early History of the Denton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Denton research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1407, 1414, 1485, 1486, 1515, 1533, 1536, 1539, 1547, 1554, 1558, 1604, 1622, 1625, 1626, 1633, 1670, 1681, 1688, 1703 and 1709 are included under the topic Early Denton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Denton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Denton, Dennton, Dentone, Dentonn, Dentowne, Dentown, Dentoun, Denntoun, Danton, Dannton and many more.

Early Notables of the Denton family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Thomas Denton, English Member of Parliament for Leicester in 1407 and 1414
Thomas Denton (before 1515-1558), an English lawyer and politician, a Member of Parliament from 1536 until his death in 1558, who served as a politician for Wallingford (1536), Oxford (1539), Berkshir...
Sir Thomas Denton (died 1633) was an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Buckingham (1604-1622)

Denton World Ranking

In the United States, the name Denton is the 1,215^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 7 However, in New Zealand, the name Denton is ranked the 907^th most popular surname with an estimated 812 people with that name. 8 And in the United Kingdom, the name Denton is the 835^th popular surname with an estimated 8,082 people with that name. 9

Denton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Denton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Denton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1630 10
Jacob Denton who settled in Virginia in the year 1633
Richard Denton, who settled in Connecticut in 1635
Jacob Denton, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Thomas" 10
Rev. Richard Denton, (1603-1662), who landed in New England in 1639 aboard the ship "James", bound for Stamford, CT he returned to England at some point. 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Trephana Denton, who landed in Virginia in 1719 10

Denton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gideon Denton, who arrived in America in 1805 10
Charles Denton, aged 34, who arrived in New York in 1812 10
Mr. Denton, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1821 10
Christino Denton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
J Denton, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1850 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Denton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Simon Denton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
Eliza Denton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mary Denton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1750
Simion Denton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Joseph Denton U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 11

Denton migration to Australia +

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

Denton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Mary Denton, British Convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Thomas Denton, English convict from Huntingdon, who was transported aboard the "Ann" on August 1809, settling in New South Wales, Australia 13
George Denton, English convict from Northampton, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 14
Miss Priscilla Denton, English convict who was convicted in Colchester, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth" on 20th June 1836, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 15
George Denton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Fairlee" in 1840 16
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Denton 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:

Denton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Denton, aged 26, a railway labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Reiherstieg" in 1864
John H. Denton, aged 25, a railway foreman, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Howrah" in 1874
Annie Denton, aged 35, a cook, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hermione" in 1878

Denton migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 17

Denton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Robert Denton, (b. 1609), aged 26, British settler traveling aboard the ship "Matthew" arriving in St Christopher (Saint Kitts) in 1635 18

Contemporary Notables of the name Denton (post 1700) +

Arthur "Crahan" Denton (1914-1966), American stage and television actor
William "Bill" Thomas Denton (1911-1946), American silver medalist artistic gymnast at the 1932 Summer Olympics
Eric Denton (b. 1978), American soccer player
Steve Denton (b. 1956), American former professional tennis player for the ATP Tour, inducted into the ITA Hall of Fame
Jeremiah Andrew Denton (b. 1924), retired United States Navy rear admiral, naval aviator who spent almost eight years as a Prisoner of War and a former Republican U.S. senator
James Thomas "Jamie" Denton (b. 1963), American film and television actor, best known for playing Mike Delfino in the television series Desperate Housewives
Denice Dee Denton (1959-2006), ninth chancellor of the University of California, Santa Cruz
C. A. Denton, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1912 19
Betty Denton, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Texas State House of Representatives 57th District; Elected 1992; Defeated, 1994 19
Albert H. Denton, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1916 19
... (Another 32 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Denton family +

HMS Dorsetshire

Bertram Joseph Denton (d. 1945), British Marine aboard the HMS Dorsetshire when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 20

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Jonathan S. Denton, English Barber from New Ferry, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 21

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
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 Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Ann voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1809 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/ann/1809
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) FAIRLIE/FAIRLEE 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Fairlie.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's (Retrieved October 4th 2021 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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/