Weston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 
  Scotland 


Weston is one of the thousands of new names that the Norman Conquest brought to England in 1066. The Weston family lived in Staffordshire, at Weston-under-Lizard. The name literally means "dweller at the west farm," or "one who lived to the west of the village." 1

"The English gazetteers give about fifty parishes and hamlets of this name, which signifies simply ' the western enclosure,' and corresponds with Easton, Norton, and Sutton. From divers of these, some of the families of Weston have sprung; but the widely-spread Westons of Surrey and Sussex are descended from the house of De Wistoneston, or Wiston, of Wiston, co. Sussex." 2

Early Origins of the Weston family

The surname Weston was first found in Staffordshire where they held a family seat at Weston-under-Lizard, having been granted lands as a tenant in chief by William the Conqueror. Reginald Bailleul was from Bailleul-En-Gouffern at Orne, arrondisement of Argentan, in the canton of Trun, in Normandy. 3

The parish of Kelvedon in Essex was once a family seat. "Felix Hall, the seat of Lord Western, a handsome modern mansion with an elegant portico, is situated on an eminence surrounded by a park." 4

The Domesday Book of 1086 had two early entries for the family: Godwinus de Westuna in Huntingdonshire; and Adestan de Westuna in Cambridgeshire. 5

Early rolls revealed the various spellings used throughout ancient Britain: Elyas de Westone in Lincolnshire c. 1160; Payn de Weston in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1268; William Weston in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296; and Alan ate Weston in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327. 1

In Scotland, "there are places named Weston and Westoun in Lanarkshire, and a Weston near Dolphinston, Peeblesshire. William de Westone of Wyggetone rendered homage in 1296. John of Westone was juror on an inquisition at Peebles, 1304, and John de Westone held a ten-pound land in the tenement of Mertone near Edinburgh before 1315. William of Westone was in the king of England's service in France, 1369." 6

Early History of the Weston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Weston research. Another 180 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1200, 1466, 1511, 1515, 1536, 1540, 1542, 1566, 1567, 1573, 1577, 1582, 1605, 1609, 1611, 1612, 1620, 1628, 1634, 1635, 1639, 1640, 1652, 1656, 1660, 1663, 1665, 1678, 1681, 1688, 1689, 1698 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Weston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Weston 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 Weston, Atgate and others.

Early Notables of the Weston family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Weston World Ranking

In the United States, the name Weston is the 1,279th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 8 However, in Australia, the name Weston is ranked the 462nd most popular surname with an estimated 8,246 people with that name. 9 And in New Zealand, the name Weston is the 561st popular surname with an estimated 1,261 people with that name. 10 The United Kingdom ranks Weston as 346th with 18,016 people. 11

Migration of the Weston family to Ireland

Some of the Weston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 32 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Weston 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 Weston or a variant listed above:

Weston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Weston Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Weston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Weston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

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

Weston migration to Australia +

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

Weston Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
Weston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Weston 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:

Weston Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Weston 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. 24
Weston Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Weston (post 1700) +


Suggested Readings for the name Weston +
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