Basto History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Basto

What does the name Basto mean?

The Basto name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Yorkshire, where they took their name from Bairstow in West Yorkshire. The place-name is derived from the Old English terms beger, for berries, and stow, for grow. It referred to "the place where berries are grown". 1

Early Origins of the Basto family

The surname Basto was first found in Yorkshire, where they held a family seat from ancient times, long before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D.

Alternatively, the Barton variant could have originated at Barston, a parish, in the union of Solihull, Solihull division of the hundred of Hemlingford in Warwickshire. "In Domesday Book it is written Bercestone, the name, it is supposed, of a possessor in the time of the Saxons. It was anciently given to the Knights Templars and the Hospitallers." 2

Early History of the Basto family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Basto research. Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Basto History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Basto Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Basto has undergone many spelling variations, including Barstow, Bairstow, Bairstoe, Barstoe and others.

Early Notables of the Basto family

More information is included under the topic Early Basto Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Basto family

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Basto were among those contributors: George and William Barstow who settled in Massachusetts in 1620; George Barstow settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1663; William Bairstow arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1872..

Sources +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.