Atington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Atington comes from when the family resided in one of several places named Addington in the counties of Devon, Kent, Surrey, Northamptonshire, and Buckinghamshire. The manor in Addington in Surrey has an interesting story to tell. "The manor is held by the singular tenure of making and presenting to the king, at his coronation, a mess of pottage called mewpergynon; subject to the performance of which, a carucate of land here was granted to Tezelin, cook to William the Conqueror." 1

Early Origins of the Atington family

The surname Atington was first found in any of the aforementioned counties in Britain. Due to the rather large number of villages and parishes named Addington, one would presume that the name was derived from a local feature such as a hill or valley, but this in not the case. Literally the place name means "estate associated with a man called Eadda or Aeddi," from the Old English personal name + "-ing" + "tun." 2

Indeed there are at least four listings of the place name in the Domesday Book of 1086: Edintone (Buckinghamshire); Eddintone (Greater London); Eddintune (Kent); and Edintone (Northamptonshire.) 3

Some of the first listings of the surname include: William de Adinton in the Pipe Rolls of Buckinghamshire in 1176; Hugh de Adinton in the Assize Rolls of 1202; and Gilbert de Adintun who was listed in Surrey in 1226. 4

Early History of the Atington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Atington research. Another 97 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1644 and 1719 are included under the topic Early Atington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Atington 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. Atington has been recorded under many different variations, including Addington, Adington, Adinton, Addinton and others.

Early Notables of the Atington family

Another 32 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Atington Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Atington family

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 Atington or a variant listed above: Jonathon Addington who settled in Virginia in 1639; Benjamin also settled in Virginia in 1663; Laurence Addington in Barbados 1684.

The Atington Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Libertas sub Rege Pio
Motto Translation: Liberty under a pious King.

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)