Heston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Heston family
The surname Heston was first found in west London at Heston, now a suburban area of the London Borough of Hounslow. The village is actually just north of Hounslow, and has been settled since Saxon times. The first record of the village was in c. 1125 when it was listed as Hestone and meant "farmstead among the brushwood. " 1
While it is generally believed that the surname originated in the area of this village in the year 1321 when William de Hewstone was listed as a merchant there, 2 Histon, Cambridgeshire was established over one hundred years before the London village and was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Histone.
More recently, the villages of Histon and Impington, Cambridgeshire have grown so entwined that many of the villagers today do not know where one village ends and the other begins.
Walter Heston (fl. 1350), was a Carmelite, a "Cambridge scholar and doctor of divinity, who is said to have obtained a great reputation as a philosopher and theologian. He belonged to the Carmelite house at Stamford. He is said to have died and been buried at Stamford. He is also called Hessodunus, Nestonus, or Keso." 3
Early History of the Heston family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heston research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1455, 1487, 1745, 1802, 1810 and 1824 are included under the topic Early Heston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Heston Spelling Variations
The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Heston has been recorded under many different variations, including Heston, Hesdon, Hesdin, Hestin, Histon, Histin and others.
Early Notables of the Heston family
Distinguished members of the family include
- Edward Warner Heston (1745-1824), American officer in the Sixth Company, Seventh Battalion of the Pennsylvania militia during the American Revolutionary War and later a Pennsylvania State Senator (180...
- After the war, he founded a village along the Lancaster Pike named Hestonville, in the former Blockley Township, now part of Philadelphia...
- Heston was elected to the Pennsylvania General Assembly, where he actively supported the abolition of slavery in Pennsylvania...
Heston Ranking
In the United States, the name Heston is the 10,064th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
Heston migration to the United States +
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Heston or a variant listed above:
Heston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- W. C. Heston, aged 60, who arrived in America, in 1892
Heston Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Frederick Heston, aged 29, who arrived in America from Leicester, England, in 1907
- Delia Heston, aged 18, who arrived in America from Westport, Ireland, in 1908
- Patrick Heston, aged 25, who arrived in America from Geesala, Ireland, in 1909
- Samuel Heston, aged 56, who arrived in America, in 1912
- Cecily Menna Heston, aged 34, who arrived in America from Bedford, England, in 1913
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Heston (post 1700) +
- Charlton Heston (1923-2008), born John Charles Carter, one of the legendary figures of American cinema and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Alan Heston, American economist who received the American Economics Association Distinguished Fellow Citation in 1998
- Fraser Clarke Heston (b. 1955), American film producer, director, writer and son of Charlton Heston
- William M. Heston, American politician, Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 3rd Circuit, 1941 5
- Thomas M. Heston, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 6th District, 1860-61 5
- Steve Heston Ph.D., Assistant Professor at the Robert H. Smith School of Business
- Warren Heston Ph.D., of the Lerner Research Institute
- Heston Vandercook, Miscellaneous Crew
Historic Events for the Heston family +
- Mr. Patrick Heston, English Fireman from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 6
Citations +
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/