Show ContentsAttwill History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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Attwill Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Attwill

What does the name Attwill mean?

The name Attwill is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when the family lived near water. This name is derived from the medieval preposition atte, which means near or at and the word waeter, which means water.

Early Origins of the Attwill family

The surname Attwill was first found in Lincolnshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Attwill family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Attwill research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1440, 1514 and 1521 are included under the topic Early Attwill History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Attwill Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Attwill are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. The variations of the name Attwill include: Attwater, Atwater, Attewater and others.

Early Notables of the Attwill family

William Attwater, (1440-1521), Bishop of Lincoln, who was, according to his epitaph, born about 1440. "A family of the name was resident near Downton, in Wiltshire...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Attwill Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Attwill family

Many English families tired of political and religious strife left Britain for the new colonies in North America. Although the trip itself offered no relief - conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and many travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute - these immigrants believed the opportunities that awaited them were worth the risks. Once in the colonies, many of the families did indeed prosper and, in turn, made significant contributions to the culture and economies of the growing colonies. An inquiry into the early roots of North American families has revealed a number of immigrants bearing the name Attwill or a variant listed above: Joshua Attwater who settled in New Haven, Conn. in 1620; Margaret Attwater who settled in New York State in 1725; Matthew Attwater, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1852.

Contemporary Notables of the name Attwill (post 1700)+

  • Henry Converse Attwill (b. 1872), American Republican politician, Member of Massachusetts State House of Representatives, 1896-98; Member of Massachusetts State Senate, 1899-1901 1
  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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