Wanton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The surname Wanton was a nickname for someone who was "merry," derived from the Middle English word "wanton." 1

Early Origins of the Wanton family

The surname Wanton was first found in Lincolnshire where William Wantoun was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1298. Later, we found Stephen Wantoun listed in the Assize Rolls for Norfolk in 1312. 1

Further to the north in Scotland, the Wenton spelling prevailed. "Ingeram de Wenton and Thomas de Wenton were jurors at a court held at Le Bellocis Hill near Inverness, 1376-1367 (Innes Family, p. 63). Thomas Wentoun of Strikmertene, [was] a charter witness at Dudhope, 1609." 2

Early History of the Wanton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wanton research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1568 and 1603 are included under the topic Early Wanton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wanton Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Wanton has undergone many spelling variations, including Wantron, Wonton, Wanton, Wantown, Wantoon, Wantune, Wandon, Wand, Want and many more.

Early Notables of the Wanton family

Distinguished members of the family include

the Wanton family of London

Wanton migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Wanton were among those contributors:

Wanton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Wanton, who landed in Virginia in 1637 3
Edward Wanton, who arrived in New England in 1640 3
Rob Wanton, who arrived in Virginia in 1670 3

Wanton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wanton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. William Wanton U.E. born in Rhode Island, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he was a Collector of Customs in Saint John 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Wanton (post 1700) +

William Wanton (1670-1733), American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Deputies, 1705-06, 1708-09, 1710-11, 1715, 1716-17, 1718, 1719-22, 1723-24; Governor of Rhode Island, 1732-33 5
John Wanton (1672-1740), American politician, Speaker of the Rhode Island House of Deputies, 1707, 1710, 1713; Governor of Rhode Island, 1734-40 5
Wanton A. Shippee, American politician, U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 4th California District, 1909 6

Citations +

Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html