Show ContentsPartington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the Anglo-Saxon name Partington come from when the family resided in the region of Partington. Partington is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Partington family

The surname Partington was first found in Cheshire at Partington, a township, in the parish of Bowdon, union of Altrincham, hundred of Bucklow. 1 The place name dates back to at least 1220 when it was first listed as Pattingham. Literally, it means "homestead of the family or followers of a man called P(e)atta," from the Old English personal name + "inga" or "ing" + "ham." 2 "This surname is well known in South Lancashire." 3

"The Partingtons are best represented in the Manchester district. There is a Cheshire township thus called. There are also Partingtons in Worcestershire." 4

Early History of the Partington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Partington research. Another 56 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Partington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Partington Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Partington has been recorded under many different variations, including Partington, Partingtone and others.

Early Notables of the Partington family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Partington of Cheshire

Partington Ranking

In the United States, the name Partington is the 14,799th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5


United States Partington migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Partington or a variant listed above:

Partington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Ellinor Partington, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 6
  • Hugh Partington who settled in Maryland in 1697
Partington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Richard Partington, aged 41, who arrived in Maryland in 1812 6
  • Thomas Partington, aged 21, who landed in Delaware in 1813 6
  • John Partington, who landed in Delaware in 1813 6
  • James, John, Richard, and William Partington all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1814 and 1856

Australia Partington migration to Australia +

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

Partington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Partington, English convict who was convicted in Knutsford (Nether Knutsford), Cheshire, England for 7 years transported aboard the "Forfarshire" on 24th June 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7
  • Mr. John Partington, English convict who was convicted in Manchester, Greater Manchester, England for 6 years, transported aboard the "Clyde" on 11th March 1863, arriving in Western Australia, Australia 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Partington (post 1700) +

  • Sallie "Sally" Partington (b. 1834), English-born, American Civil War era actress, nicknamed "the toast of Richmond" and was a great source of inspiration and encouragement to Confederate soldiers
  • Rex Partington (1924-2006), American actor, director and producer
  • Blanche Partington (1866-1951), prominent American San Francisco journalist
  • William E. Partington, American politician, Member of Ohio State House of Representatives, 1900-02 9
  • Adrian Partington FRCO (b. 1958), English conductor, chorus master, organist and pianist
  • Jonathan R. Partington (b. 1955), English mathematician, Professor of Pure Mathematics at the University of Leeds
  • Edward Partington (1836-1925), 1st Baron Doverdale, English industrialist
  • Ralph Partington (1806-1873), English-born, American Mormon pioneer
  • Oswald Partington (1872-1935), 2nd Baron Doverdale, British Liberal Party politician
  • James Riddick Partington (1886-1965), British chemist and historian of chemistry, fellow and council member of the Chemical Society of London
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMAS Sydney II


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  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)
  4. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  5. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  6. 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)
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 20th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forfarshire
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/clyde
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  10. HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp


Houseofnames.com on Facebook