Show ContentsWadtkinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

First composed in the countryside now known as Wales, the ancient name of Wadtkinson began its life as a name for a the personal name Walter. The surname Wadtkinson is derived from the pet form Wat, which is supplemented by the common diminutive suffix -kin and the patronymic suffix -son, which superseded other patronymic suffixes during the 14th century.

Early Origins of the Wadtkinson family

The surname Wadtkinson was first found in Yorkshire, at Beeston and Ilkley where they held a family seat from ancient times undoubtedly related to the Welsh Watkins of Pennoyre in Breconshire.

Early History of the Wadtkinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wadtkinson research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1665 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Wadtkinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wadtkinson Spelling Variations

Welsh surnames are relatively few in number, but they have an inordinately large number of spelling variations. There are many factors that explain the preponderance of Welsh variants, but the earliest is found during the Middle Ages when Welsh surnames came into use. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, which often resulted in a single person's name being inconsistently recorded over his lifetime. The transliteration of Welsh names into English also accounts for many of the spelling variations: the unique Brythonic Celtic language of the Welsh had many sounds the English language was incapable of accurately reproducing. It was also common for members of a same surname to change their names slightly, in order to signify a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations. For all of these reasons, the many spelling variations of particular Welsh names are very important. The surname Wadtkinson has occasionally been spelled Watkinson, Watkisson, Watkynson, Wattkinson, Waytkinson, Waytekinson, Waitkinson, Watkenson and many more.

Early Notables of the Wadtkinson family

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

Migration of the Wadtkinson family

In the 1800s and 1900s, many Welsh families left for North America, in search of land, work, and freedom. Those who made the trip successfully helped contribute to the growth of industry, commerce, and the cultural heritage of both Canada and the United States. In the immigration and passenger lists were a number of people bearing the name Wadtkinson Elizabeth Watkinson settled in New England in 1718; John Watkinson settled in Barbados in 1634; John Watkinson settled in New York state in 1774; Elizabeth settled in New York State in 1820 along with Thomas, Peter and Maria..



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