Graften History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The ancestors of the bearers of the Graften family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in one of many places names Grafton.

The surname Graften is a habitational surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. The name was derived from the Old English word graf meaning "gorve" and tun meaning "enclosure." 1

Early Origins of the Graften family

The surname Graften was first found in Leicestershire where William de Graftona was listed in the Pipe Rolls of 1130. Later John de Grafton was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire c. 1280 and John Grafton was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1443. 2

In Marton-cum-Grafton, a parish three miles from Boroughbridge, in the liberty of Knaresborough in Yorkshire, the following early rolls noted the family estates. The Freemen of York listed William de Grafton, 2 Edward II (during the second year of King Edward II's reign) and the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included: Robertus de Grafton; and Alicia de Grafton, 1379. 3

Early History of the Graften family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Graften research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1198, 1480, 1511, 1535, 1537, 1572 and 1675 are included under the topic Early Graften History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Graften 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 Graften include Grafton, Graphton, Graffton and others.

Early Notables of the Graften family

Notables of the family at this time include Richard Grafton (1511-1572), member of the Grocers' Company and was the King's Printer under Henry VIII and Edward VI. He "was a prosperous London merchant and a member of the Grocers' Company. In 1537 his zeal for the reformed religion led him to arrange for the printing of the Bible in English. Coverdale's translation had been first printed abroad in 1535. In 1537...
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Graften Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Graften 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 Graften or a variant listed above: James Grafton who settled in Virginia in 1634; John Grafton settled in Virginia in 1653; another John Grafton settled in Carolina in 1774; Joseph Grafton settled in New England in 1680.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)