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Dunton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dunton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The origins of the Dunton name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived in Dunton of which there are five parishes in England. Parishes can be found in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Norfolk, Leicestershire and Essex. The last is of particular importance. Now known as Dunton-Waylett, it dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086. "At the time of the Norman survey, the manor of Dunton Hall belonged to Odo, Bishop of Bayeaux, by whom it was bestowed on the abbey of Bec, in Normandy; and on the suppression of alien priories it was granted to King's College, Cambridge."

The Waylett suffix like the suffix for Dunton-Basset (Leicestershire) were added later to denote the family who held their family seat there. Actually there are more entries in the Domesday Book that should be mentioned now: Dodintone, Buckinghamshire; Donitone, Bedfordshire; Dontuna, Norfolk; and Donitone, Leicestershire. All of these place names evolved to be known as Dunton. 1

The manor of Dunton, with Doughton was " given by Henry VII. to Ralph de Hauville, to be held by service of keeping the king's falcons; it passed in the reign of Elizabeth to Lord Chief Justice Coke." 2

As far as the etymology of the name, there are two schools of thought. The first is the it meant "farmstead on a hill," from the Old English "dun" + "tan." 3 The second was an "estate associated with a man called Dudda or Dodda," from the Old English personal name + "tun." 1

Early Origins of the Dunton family

The surname Dunton was first found in Norfolk where Gilbert de Dunton was registered in the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I. The same source notes John de Dunton, Lincolnshire. 4 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Isabella de Dunton, Salop (Shropshire) and Jordan de Duntone, Oxfordshire. 5

The Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire listed Richard de la Duntun in 1275 and Ralph de Dunton was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. 6

Early History of the Dunton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dunton research. Another 77 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1280, 1400, 1593, 1659, 1660 and 1733 are included under the topic Early Dunton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dunton Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Dunton were recorded, including Dunton, Duntin and others.

Early Notables of the Dunton family

Distinguished members of the family include

John Dunton (1659-1733), and English writer, publisher and bookseller
he produced a periodical called the Athenian Gazette. "His father, grandfather, and great-grandfather were all named John Dunton, and had all been clergymen. His father had been fellow of Trinity Coll...

Dunton Ranking

In the United States, the name Dunton is the 7,157^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 7

Dunton migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Dunton family emigrate to North America:

Dunton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andrew Dunton, aged 38, who arrived in Virginia in 1634 aboard the ship "Bonaventure" coming via St. Domingo 8
Robert Dunton, who landed in Reading, Massachusetts in 1647 8
Thomas Dunton, who arrived in Virginia in 1647 8
Thomas Dunton, who landed in Virginia in 1653 8
Simon Dunton, who landed in Maryland in 1680 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dunton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Dunton, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1707 8

Dunton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Dunton, aged 34, who arrived in Boston Massachusetts in 1822
Edward, Dunton Sr., who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1860 8

Dunton migration to Australia +

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

Dunton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Shadrack Dunton, English convict who was convicted in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, England for 6 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Contemporary Notables of the name Dunton (post 1700) +

William Herbert Dunton (1878-1936), American painter who specialized in scenes of the American West
Major-General Delmar Hall Dunton (1890-1967), American Commanding General Air Technical Service Command (1944) 9
Danny Dunton, former American international motorcycle speedway rider and promoter
Randy Dunton (b. 1960), American former head men's basketball coach
Theodore Watts Dunton (1832-1914), English critic and poet
John Dunton (1659-1733), English bookseller and author
Arnold Davidson Dunton (1912-1987), Canadian educator and public administrator
George Dunton Widener Jr. (1889-1971), American businessman and thoroughbred racehorse owner, son of George Dunton Widener Sr

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 24) Delmar Dunton. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Dunton/Delmar_Hall/USA.html