Winstome History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Winstome is one of the names carried to England in the great wave of migration from Normandy following the Norman Conquest in 1066. It is based on the Old English personal name Wynstan. That name is derived from the Old English elements wyn, meaning joy, and stan, meaning stone.

Early Origins of the Winstome family

The surname Winstome was first found in Gloucestershire where they are conjecturally descended from Ansfrid de Cormeiles, a Norman knight from the Abbey of Cormeiles in Normandy.

Early History of the Winstome family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Winstome research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1556, 1576, 1602 and 1655 are included under the topic Early Winstome History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Winstome Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Winston, Winstone and others.

Early Notables of the Winstome family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Winstome Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Winstome family to Ireland

Some of the Winstome family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 61 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 Winstome family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Winstome or a variant listed above: John Winston settled in Virginia in 1663; Nicholas Winston settled in Barbados in 1654; Stephen Winston settled in Boston in 1716; Thomas Winston settled in Maryland in 1725..