Claxton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


Claxton is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in Claxton, a small village in the county of Durham. It is generally believed that a branch of the Norman family of Heriz, settled here and assumed the local name. The surname is derived from the Old English word clacs-tun which literally means those who lived near the clayey soil.

Early Origins of the Claxton family

The surname Claxton was first found in Durham where it is believed the first reference of the name was found. There are three other listings of the place name in the Domesday Book: Claxton, or Long Clawson (Clachestone) in Leicestershire, Claxton (Clakestona, Clarestona) in Norfolk, and Claxton (Claxtorp) in North Yorkshire. 1 In Norfolk, Claxton Castle was built in 1333 in the village of Claxton, but it was largely demolished in the 17th century to build Claxton Hall. Today, Claxton is also a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England.

Early History of the Claxton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claxton research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1615 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Claxton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Claxton Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Claxton family name include Claxton, Claxon, Klaxon, Klaxton and others.

Early Notables of the Claxton family

Distinguished members of the family include

Claxton Ranking

In the United States, the name Claxton is the 7,041st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2


Claxton migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Claxton surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Claxton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Claxton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Claxton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Claxton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Claxton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Claxton migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Claxton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Claxton (post 1700) +
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