Litton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The history of the Litton family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living in Litton, found in Derbyshire, Somerset, West Riding of Yorkshire and Dorset. 1 The Somerset parish is the oldest dating back to Saxon times when it was known as Hyltton c. 1060. The following dates apply for the rest: Litun, 1086 (Derbyshire); Litone, 1086 (Yorkshire); Lideton, 1204 (Dorset.) 2 Of course the 1086 date refers to their entry in the Domesday Book. 3
It is generally thought that the place names mean "farmstead on a slope," from the Old English "hlith" + "tun." 2
Early Origins of the Litton family
The surname Litton was first found in Cheshire where Gamel de Litton was registered in 1175. Years later, Henry de Lideton was registered in the Dorset in 1212 and Thomas de Lytton was in the Subsidy Rolls for Derbyshire in 1327. 4
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Hugh de Litton, Northamptonshire; and Symon de Litton, Somerset. 5
Early History of the Litton family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Litton research. Another 79 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1562, 1581, 1586, 1611, 1615, 1640, 1648, 1660 and 1674 are included under the topic Early Litton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Litton Spelling Variations
Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Litton include Lytton, Litton and others.
Early Notables of the Litton family
Notables of the family at this time include
- Sir Roland Lytton (ca. 1562-1615) (also Rowland Litton), an English lawyer and politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1586 and 1611
Litton Ranking
In the United States, the name Litton is the 6,394th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 6
Litton migration to the United States +
Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Litton or a variant listed above:
Litton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
- John Litton, who landed in Virginia in 1622 7
- John Litton, who settled in Virginia in 1623
- Nicholas Litton, who settled in Virginia in 1630
Litton 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.
8Litton Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
- William Litton, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his wife and five children and servants
Contemporary Notables of the name Litton (post 1700) +
- Drew Litton (b. 1958), American cartoonist, one of the last sports cartoonists left in the United States
- Chase Litton (b. 1995), American NFL and CFL football quarterback who is a free agent
- Ashley Renee Litton (b. 1983), American beauty queen from Missouri who held the Miss Missouri USA title in 2004
- Abram Litton (1814-1901), Irish-born, American chemist and educator, Washington University in St. Louis's first professor of chemistry, acting Chancellor from 1869 to 1870
- Martin Litton (1917-2014), American Grand Canyon river runner and a longtime environmental activist
- Dr. James Litton (1934-2022), American director of the American Boychoir from 1985 to 2001
- Jon Gregory "Greg" Litton (b. 1964), American former infielder-outfielder in Major League Baseball
- Charles Litton Sr. (1904-1972), American entrepreneur, inventor and founder of Litton Industries
- Jerry Lon Litton (1937-1976), Democratic U.S. Representative from Missouri
- Andrew Litton (b. 1959), American orchestral conductor
- ... (Another 5 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Citations +
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- "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)
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies