Heaton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


Heaton is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in one of a variety of similarly-named places. Settlements named Heaton are in Northumberland and the West Riding of Yorkshire. Heaton Norris, Heaton under Horwich, Heaton with Oxcliffe, Great Heaton, and Little Heaton are all in Lancashire. Places called Capheaton and Kirkheaton are found in Northumberland, while settlements named Cleckheaton, Hanging Heaton, and Kirkheaton are all in the West Riding of Yorkshire. The surname Heaton belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names that are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Heaton family

The surname Heaton was first found in West Yorkshire at Heaton, the oldest place name in England so named. The village dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was listed as Etone and literally meant "high farmstead." 1

The parish of Mirfield has an interesting story about its chapel and the family. "This place, at the time of the heptarchy, formed part of the parish of Dewsbury. It afterwards belonged to Sir John Heton, lord of the manor, whose lady, on her way to the parish church, before dawn, on Christmas Day, being attacked by robbers, and her attendant killed, the pope, on the intercession of her husband, who was then at Rome, granted permission to the family to build a chapel here, which subsequently became parochial." 2

"The manor [of Ellingham, Northumberland] in Henry III's reign, was held of the king in capite by Ranulph de Guagy; it passed in 1286 to Roger de Clifford, and in 1378 was possessed by Sir Allan de Heton, who acquired in that year great honour at the siege of Berwick." 2

Another early branch of the family was found in the parish of Emley, again the West Riding of Yorkshire. "This place belonged to the family of Heton, whose estates passed to the Saviles, and whose ancient mansion of timber frame-work, surrounded by a moat, stood in an extensive park, more than two miles in length, but which has been long divided into farms." 2

Early History of the Heaton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heaton research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1372, 1545, 1552 and 1609 are included under the topic Early Heaton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heaton 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 Heaton family name include Heaton, Heton and others.

Early Notables of the Heaton family

Distinguished members of the family include

Heaton Ranking

In the United States, the name Heaton is the 2,592nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 4 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Heaton is ranked the 878th most popular surname with an estimated 7,789 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Heaton family to Ireland

Some of the Heaton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Heaton 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 Heaton surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Heaton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Heaton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Heaton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Heaton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Heaton migration to Australia +

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

Heaton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Heaton 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:

Heaton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Heaton (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Heaton +
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