Show ContentsCalton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Calton is Celtic in origin, arising from the rugged landscape of Wales. The name is directly derived from when a family lived in any of such places as Carlton in Bedfordshire, Cambridge, Durham, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Northumberland, Suffolk, or the East Riding of Yorkshire, or in one of the places called Carleton in Cumberland Lancashire, Norfolk, or the West Riding of Yorkshire. One of the reasons for the numerous entries of the place name is that the name literally means "farmstead or estate of the freemen" 1

Early Origins of the Calton family

The surname Calton was first found in Herefordshire, but one family was found at Whitton in Shropshire in early times. "Here is a farmhouse formerly a seat of the Charltons, where James II. visited: a chamber in it contains some superior tapestry of that period." 2

Early History of the Calton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Calton research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1268, 1300, 1336, 1353, 1360, 1361, 1362, 1369, 1374, 1401, 1559, 1560, 1562, 1573, 1599, 1601, 1605, 1618, 1619, 1628, 1632, 1638, 1642, 1654, 1660, 1661, 1672, 1673, 1678, 1679, 1685 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Calton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calton Spelling Variations

The Welsh have an extremely large amount of spelling variations of their native surnames to their credit. The priest or the scribe taking the official records determined how the spoken name was to be made literal. As time progressed, the old Brythonic names of Wales were recorded in English, which was especially problematic since the English language had extreme difficulty recording the highly inflected sounds of Cymraeg. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations could be indicated by spelling variations of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Calton have included Carleton, Carlton, Charleton, Charlton and others.

Early Notables of the Calton family

Prominent amongst the family during the late Middle Ages was John Charleton, (1268-1353), 1st Baron Cherleton, 1st Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton, (c. 1300-1360), 2nd Baron Cherleton, 2nd Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton, (c. 1336-1374), 3rd Baron Cherleton, 3rd Lord Charlton of Powys, British baron; John Charleton (Cherleton or Charlton), (1362-1401), 4th Baron Cherleton, 4th Lord Charlton of Powys; Lewis de Charleton (or Lewis Charlton, Lewes de Cherlton) (died 1369), Bishop of Hereford (1361-1369); Sir John Carleton 'of the Bower', notorious Border fighter; Richard Carleton (1560-1638), English composer; Dudley Carleton, Viscount Dorchester...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Calton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Calton Ranking

In the United States, the name Calton is the 8,407th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Calton family to Ireland

Some of the Calton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 141 words (10 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Calton migration to the United States +

Many Welsh families joined their Scottish and Irish neighbors during the late 1800s and early 1900s in seeking refuge in North America. Like the Irish and Scottish, many Welsh anxiously awaited the work, freedom, and opportunities that they believed lay in North America. Those who did journey over to the United States and what became known as Canada often realized those dreams, but only through much toil and perseverance. Whenever and however these Welsh immigrants arrived in North America, they were instrumental in the creation of the industry, commerce, and cultural heritage within those two developing nations. In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Calton were found:

Calton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Calton, who arrived in America in 1789 4
Calton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Margaret Calton, aged 51, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 4
  • Walter Calton, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1855 4
  • Mr. William F. Calton, aged 27, British settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863

Calton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Calton Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Anthony Calton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1783
  • John Calton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1783

Calton migration to Australia +

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

Calton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Henry Calton, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 5
  • Catherine Calton, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 5
  • Sarah Calton, who arrived in Glenelg Roads aboard the ship "Pestonjee Bomanjee" in 1838 5
  • Charles Calton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 6
  • Mary Ann Calton, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Royal Admiral" in 1838 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Calton (post 1700) +

  • Mr. Trevor Calton M.B.E., British Acting Major for the Army Cadet Force, was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire on 29th December 2018 7
  • Patsy Calton (1948-2005), née Yeldon, British Liberal Democrat politician, Member of Parliament for Cheadle (2001-2005); her valiant fight with breast cancer was lost but the Breakthrough Patsy Calton Award recognizes her exceptional achievement in breast cancer research
  • Calton Coffie (1954-2023), Jamaican vocalist


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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 Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The PESTONJEE BOMANJEE 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838PestonjeeBomanjee.htm
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ROYAL ADMIRAL 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838RoyalAdmiral.htm
  7. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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