Nation History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
Early Origins of the Nation family
The surname Nation was first found in Nottinghamshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the 13th century when they held lands.
Early History of the Nation family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nation research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Nation History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Nation Spelling Variations
Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Nation include Nathan, Natan, Nation, Nations, Nusan, Nusen and others.
Early Notables of the Nation family
More information is included under the topic Early Nation Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Nation Ranking
In the United States, the name Nation is the 4,222nd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 1
Nation migration to the United States +
A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:
Nation Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James Nation, who landed in New York in 1839 2
- Arthur I. Nation, aged 43, who settled in America, in 1894
- Mr. A. T. Nation, aged 45, who landed in America, in 1896
- Harold Nation, aged 20, who landed in America from Liverpool, in 1897
Nation Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Mr. Arthur Tulloh Nation, (b. 1851), aged 53, Cornish settler, from Falmouth, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Kronprinz Wilhelm" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 27th April 1904 en route to New York, USA 3
- Wilfred C. Nation, aged 22, who settled in America from Buscten, England, in 1907
- Agnes B. Nation, who immigrated to the United States, in 1910
- Julia Nation, aged 27, who settled in America from Kingston, Jamaica, in 1911
- Arthur T. Nation, aged 65, who immigrated to the United States from London, England, in 1914
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Nation migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Nation Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
- Frederick S. Nation, aged 22, who landed in Toronto, Canada, in 1924
Nation migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Nation Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. George Nation, (b. 1803), aged 25, English labourer who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1868 4
- William Nation, who arrived in Kangaroo Island aboard the ship "Tam O'Shanter" in 1836 5
- Mr. James Nation, (b. 1802), aged 35, English clerk who was convicted in London, England for 10 years for theft, transported aboard the "Emma Eugenia" on 2nd November 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
- Mr. Charles Nation, aged 23, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship "Bolton"
- Philip Nation, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Asiatic" in 1849 7
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Contemporary Notables of the name Nation (post 1700) +
- Carrie Amelia Moore Nation (1846-1911), née Moore, American activist, member of the temperance movement which opposed alcohol before the advent of Prohibition
- Joe Nation, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 8
- James M. Nation, American Republican politician, Kansas State Auditor, 1907-11 8
- Bill Nation (b. 1925), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Cheyenne, Wyoming, 1962-66; Member of Wyoming State House of Representatives from Laramie County, 1965- 8
- Terence Joseph "Terry" Nation (1930-1997), Welsh screenwriter and novelist, known for his work in British television science fiction; creator of the Daleks and Davros for Doctor Who, as well as the series Survivors and Blake's 7
- Ian Stephen Paul Nation (b. 1944), New Zealand scholar in the field of linguistics and teaching methodology
- James Henry Nation (b. 1976), New Zealand Olympic field hockey player at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics
- Robert Nation (b. 1962), Australian rules professional football player
- Terry Nation (1930-1997), Welsh novelist and screenwriter
Historic Events for the Nation family +
- Mr. Nation, British Leading Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 9
Suggested Readings for the name Nation +
- House of Nations by Verna Nation Jones.
Citations +
- "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)
- Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) TAM O'SHANTER - 1836. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1836TamOShanter.htm
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th March 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emma-eugenia
- State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASIATIC 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Asiatic.htm
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
- HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html