Hawthurn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Hawthurn is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in the settlement of Hawthorn in the county of Durham, or near a hawthorn shrub or tree. Thus, the surname Hawthurn belongs both the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads, and to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The surname Hawthurn is derived from the Old English word haguthorn, which means hawthorn.

Early Origins of the Hawthurn family

The surname Hawthurn was first found in Durham at Hawthorn, a township in the parish of Easington. The township dates back to 1155 when it was originally spelt Hagethorn and literally meant "place at the hawthorn," from the Old English "hagu-thorn." 1 The place is most significant as "on the 5th of November, 1824, not less than 50 vessels perished in a storm immediately off this part, and the crews of all were lost, with the exception of the crew of one only, who were enabled to effect their escape by means of a rope, thrown from the vessel, and brought to land by a Newfoundland dog belonging to Major Anderson." 2 "The New England family of this name left this country [(England)] in or before 1634, and until recently wrote themselves Hathorne." 3 In Scotland, the name is an old Galloway name. "A family of the name were proprietors of Meikle or Over Aires in the parish of Kirkinner." 4 In other parts of England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed: Galfridus Hackthom in Huntingdonshire; and John atte Horethorne in Somerset. 5

Early History of the Hawthurn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawthurn research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1455, 1484, 1602, 1606, 1628, 1630, 1641, 1681, 1692, 1717, 1804, 1864 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hawthurn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawthurn Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Hawthurn family name include Hawthorne, Hathorne, Hawthorn and others.

Early Notables of the Hawthurn family

Notables of the family at this time include Major William Hathorne (ca. 1606-1681), English immigrant to North America in 1630; and his son, John Hathorne (1641-1717), a merchant and magistrate of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, Justice of the Special Court...
Another 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hawthurn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Hawthurn family to Ireland

Some of the Hawthurn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 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 Hawthurn family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Hawthurn surname or a spelling variation of the name include : Mathew Hawthorn settled in Virginia in 1622; William Hathorne, who arrived in Dorchester, in 1630, later settling in Salem Massachusetts in 1630; Anne Hathorne, who came to Virginia in 1717.

The Hawthurn Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Stabo
Motto Translation: I shall stand.

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.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)