Wolverton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Wolverton family

The surname Wolverton was first found in Norfolk where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Wolverton, held by Thorold from William de Warrene, a Norman Baron who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Wolverton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wolverton research. Another 114 words (8 lines of text) covering the year 1492 is included under the topic Early Wolverton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wolverton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Wolverton, Wolverston, Wolverstan, Wolfton, Woolverton, Woolverston, Wolferston, Wolferstan, Wolverstone, Wolferstone, Wolferstan, Wolferston and many more.

Early Notables of the Wolverton family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

the Wolverton family of Norfolk

Wolverton Ranking

In the United States, the name Wolverton is the 10,541^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Wolverton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wolverton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Wolverton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Wolverton (post 1700) +

John David Wolverton (1957-2022), better known by his pen names Dave Wolverton and David Farland, an American author, editor, and instructor of online writing workshops, and groups, best known for his Runelords series of science fiction and fantasy works which have hit the New York Times bestsellers list
Karin Wolverton, American operatic soprano
Andrew Joseph Wolverton (b. 1993), American former soccer player for the United States National Team in 2010
Lt.Col. Robert Lee "Bull" Wolverton, American Commander of the American 3rd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division; he was killed in the D-Day invasion on June 6, 1944
B. C. “Bill” Wolverton (b. 1932), American scientist who specialized in chemistry, microbiology, biochemistry, marine biology and environmental engineering; he managed the NASA Clean Air Study in 1989
Troy Wolverton (b. 1971), American journalist, personal technology columnist for the San Jose Mercury News
John Marshall Wolverton (1872-1944), American politician, U.S. Representative from West Virginia (1925-1927) and (1929-1931)
Monte Wolverton (b. 1948), American editorial cartoonist from Vancouver, Washington
Harry Sterling Wolverton (1873-1937), nicknamed "Fighting Harry," American Major League Baseball third baseman, he played from 1898 to 1912
Terry Wolverton (b. 1954), American novelist, memoirist, poet, and editor; her book "Insurgent Muse: Life and Art at the Woman’s Building" was named one of the “Best Books of 2002” by the Los Angeles Times
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Wolverton 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: Qui sera sera
Motto Translation: Whatever will be, will be.

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)