Show ContentsThistleton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Thistleton family

The surname Thistleton was first found in Yorkshire at Twistleton, where one of the first records of the name was Thomas de Twisilton listed in the Feet of Fines of 1208. A few years later, Hugh de Twiselton was listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1260. 1

Twiston, is a township, in the chapelry of Downham, parish of Whalley, union of Clitheroe in Lancashire. "This place was called Twysilton in the reign of John, at which time the family of Twysilton occur as owners here. In the 1st of Edward III., when the Hall existed, the property was possessed by Richard de Greenacres; a successor." 2

In the case of the variant Thistleton, this name is derived from the parishes located in Lancashire and Leicestershire. These parishes literally mean "farmstead or village where thistles grow," from the Old English "thistel" + "tun." 3 The Leicestershire parish is the older of the two as this parish was listed as Tistletune 4 in the Domesday Book of 1086, whereas the Lancashire parish was listed as Thistilton in 1212.

Early History of the Thistleton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thistleton research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1510, 1600, 1618, 1629, 1654, 1658, 1659 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Thistleton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thistleton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Twistleton, Thistleton, Thisselton, Twisselton, Twizzleton, Twisleton, Thisleton, Twiselden, Twisden, Twysden, Thysleton and many more.

Early Notables of the Thistleton family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thistleton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Thistleton family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..


Contemporary Notables of the name Thistleton (post 1700) +

  • Katie Lorna Thistleton (b. 1989), English TV presenter known for her work on the CBBC channel

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. Lawrence Thistleton, British Marine, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 5


The Thistleton 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: Vidi, vici
Motto Translation: I saw, I conquered


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  4. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  5. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


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