Show ContentsBuxton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the name Buxton date back to the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the Buxton family lived in the region of Buxton parishes in the diocese of Southwell and Norwich. It may also be derived from the town in Derbyshire where in Old English it was known as Buchestanes, meaning bowing stones.

Early Origins of the Buxton family

The surname Buxton was first found in Derbyshire. However, the parish of Rushford in Suffolk was of particular significance to the family. "Schadwell Park, the seat of the family of Buxton, is a handsome mansion in the Elizabethan style, recently new fronted with Caen stone, and considerably enlarged; the park is richly wooded, and in the grounds is St. Chad's Well, anciently much frequented by pilgrims on their route to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham. The living is in the patronage of the Buxton family." 1

Early History of the Buxton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Buxton research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1562, 1588 and 1929 are included under the topic Early Buxton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Buxton 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 Buxton 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. The variations of the name Buxton include: Buckston, Buxton, Buckstone and others.

Early Notables of the Buxton family

Distinguished members of the family include

  • Christopher Buxton (1562-1588), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr, one of the Oaten Hill Martyrs, and was beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1929

Buxton Ranking

In the United States, the name Buxton is the 4,699th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2 However, in the United Kingdom, the name Buxton is ranked the 957th most popular surname with an estimated 7,296 people with that name. 3


Buxton migration to the United States +

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 Buxton or a variant listed above:

Buxton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thomas Buxton in Salem Massachusetts in 1630
  • Anthony Buxton, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 4
  • John Buxton, who settled in Virginia in 1637
  • Jon Buxton, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 4
  • Robert Buxton, who arrived in Virginia in 1645 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Buxton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Elizabeth Buxton who settled in Potomac Maryland in 1729
  • John Buxton, who landed in America in 1760-1763 4
  • Grace Buxton, who settled in west New Jersey in 1773
  • Grace Buxton, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1773 4
Buxton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Buxton, who arrived in Mississippi in 1843 4
  • M F Buxton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
  • Aaron Buxton, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 4
  • Mr. John Buxton, aged 45, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Buxton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Buxton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • T. Buxton, aged 30, a merchant, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Augusta" from Liverpool, England

Buxton migration to Australia +

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

Buxton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Buxton, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Albion" on May 17, 1823, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
  • Thomas Buxton, a wheelwright, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
  • Mr. Thomas Buxton, English convict who was convicted in Derby, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
  • Mr. Thomas Buxton, British convict who was convicted in Colchester, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
  • Mr. John Buxton, English convict who was convicted in West Riding, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 24th March 1838, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Buxton 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:

Buxton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Henry Buxton, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
  • Harry Bridger Buxton, aged 39, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 9
  • Mary Ann Buxton, aged 33, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 9
  • Sophia Buxton, aged 9, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 9
  • John Buxton, aged 5, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Adelaide" in 1858 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Buxton (post 1700) +

  • Ronald I. Buxton (1949-2021), American politician, Democratic member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (1993-2012)
  • Glen Edward Buxton (1947-1997), American musician, and guitarist for the Alice Cooper band, co-writer of "School's Out", "I'm Eighteen" and "Elected"
  • Frank Buxton (b. 1930), American actor, television writer, author, and television director, best known as host and producer of Discovery from 1962 to 1966 and for his work on Hot Dog for NBC which won a Peabody Award
  • Byron Keiron Buxton (b. 1993), American Major League Baseball outfielder for the Minnesota Twins
  • Sir Thomas Buxton (1786-1845), English philanthropist, eldest son of Thomas Fowell Buxton, of Earl's Colne, Essex 10
  • Richard Buxton (1786-1865), English botanist, born at Sedgley Hall Farm, Prestwich, on 15 Jan. 1786
  • Jedidiah Buxton (1707-1772), untaught arithmetical genius, born at Elmton, Derbyshire; he could not read or write but was a mathematical genius, by example he could calculate the product of a farthing doubled 139 times 10
  • Charles Buxton (1823-1871), English brewer, philanthropist, writer, third son of Sir Thomas Buxton, 1st Baronet 10
  • Ian Ray Buxton (1938-2010), English footballer and cricketer
  • Dave Buxton (b. 1952), English jazz pianist and composer
  • ... (Another 13 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

HMS Prince of Wales
  • Mr. Michael Aurio Buxton, British Lieutenant, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking 11


Suggested Readings for the name Buxton +

  • The Buxtons of Warren by J. J. Donovan.

  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. "UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
  4. 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)
  5. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Albion voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1823 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/albion/1823
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
  9. Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
  10. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 31 Oct. 2019
  11. HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html


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