Etterinton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The ancestors of the bearers of the Etterinton family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in Hetherington, Northumberland. The "E" prefix as in the name Etherington is a shortened form of the name and has the same phonetic sound. 1

Early Origins of the Etterinton family

The surname Etterinton was first found in Northumberland at Hetherington. This ancient Saxon village was derived from the word "haeth", meaning a heath and "tun" a settlement, thus "the farm of the heath." 2

Edmund de Hetherynton was listed in the Assize Rolls of Northumberland in 1316. 3 But before that, Richard de Hetherington was listed in the Assize Rolls of 1298 eighteen years before. 3

"The Hetheringtons, who have their present home in Carlisle and its neighbourhood, belong to an ancient border - family that often produced persons of note; in the reign of Henry VIII. George Hethrington, as king's bailiff, "kept watch and ward" in the parish of Kirklinton, on the west marches (H.). Ambrose Hetherington was vicar of Kendal in the reign of Elizabeth." 4

Early History of the Etterinton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Etterinton research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1100 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Etterinton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Etterinton Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Etterinton include Etherington, Ethrington, Ethlington, Hetherington, Hetherton and many more.

Early Notables of the Etterinton family

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

Migration of the Etterinton family to Ireland

Some of the Etterinton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 107 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Etterinton family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Etterinton or a variant listed above: Jon Etherington sailed to Barbados in 1634. Later he moved his family to the nearby island of St. Christopher. In 1771 Terrence Etherington sailed into the harbour of New York. Robert Etherington was to join him three years later in 1774. Later members of the Etherington family name were to join other colonists who settled in New England..

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.