Dart History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 


Dart is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Dart family lived in Devon, near the river Dart, from which the surname derives. 1

Alternatively, the name could have originated from the Old French word "dart 'a pointed missile thrown by hand', perhaps metonymic for a soldier or a hunter." 2

Early Origins of the Dart family

The surname Dart was first found in Devon where Ralph de Derth was recorded in 1242. A few years later Juhelinus de Derte was recorded in the Hundredorum Rolls for Devon in 1275. The name is from Dart Raffe in Witheridge, Devon. Later again, John Dart was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Devon in 1524. In Gloucestershire, Walter Dert was listed in the Assize Rolls for 1221. 2

The family may have given birth to the parish of Dartington, in the union of Totnes, hundred of Stanborough, Stanborough and Coleridge, in Devon, two miles from Totnes 3 which is home to Dartington Manor, an historic hall and country estate of 1,200 acres dating from medieval times. One source claims the manor is "one of the most spectacular surviving domestic buildings of late Medieval England." Today it is the home of the Dartington Trust, which currently runs 16 charitable educational programs, including Schumacher College, Dartington Arts School, Research in Practice and the Dartington International Summer School.

Early History of the Dart family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dart research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1086, 1730, 1817, 1836, 1838, 1841, 1842, 1851, 1852, 1856, 1860, 1862, 1865, 1871, 1875, 1876, 1877, 1885, 1886 and 1887 are included under the topic Early Dart History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dart Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Dart, Darte, Darth and others.

Early Notables of the Dart family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Dart Ranking

In the United States, the name Dart is the 9,349th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4


Dart migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Dart or a variant listed above:

Dart Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Dart Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Dart Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
Dart Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Dart migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dart Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Dart Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Dart migration to Australia +

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

Dart Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Dart 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:

Dart Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Dart migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 13
Dart Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Dart (post 1700) +
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