Claxon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Claxon comes from when the family resided in Claxton, a small village in the county of Durham. It is generally believed that a branch of the Norman family of Heriz, settled here and assumed the local name. The surname is derived from the Old English word clacs-tun which literally means those who lived near the clayey soil.

Early Origins of the Claxon family

The surname Claxon was first found in Durham where it is believed the first reference of the name was found. There are three other listings of the place name in the Domesday Book: Claxton, or Long Clawson (Clachestone) in Leicestershire, Claxton (Clakestona, Clarestona) in Norfolk, and Claxton (Claxtorp) in North Yorkshire. 1 In Norfolk, Claxton Castle was built in 1333 in the village of Claxton, but it was largely demolished in the 17th century to build Claxton Hall. Today, Claxton is also a village and civil parish in the Ryedale district of North Yorkshire, England.

Early History of the Claxon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Claxon research. Another 105 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1615 and 1667 are included under the topic Early Claxon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Claxon 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. Claxon has been recorded under many different variations, including Claxton, Claxon, Klaxon, Klaxton and others.

Early Notables of the Claxon family

Distinguished members of the family include Laurence Claxton or Clarkson (1615-1667), sectary, was "born at Preston, Lancashire, in 1615. He was brought up in the faith of the church of England. In an age of Puritanism his conscience was afflicted, among other things...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Claxon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Claxon migration to the United States +

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 Claxon or a variant listed above:

Claxon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Claxon, servant, who arrived in Virginia in 1619 aboard the ship "Bona Nova" 2

Claxon Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Mr. William V. Claxon, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1826 aboard the ship "Leo" 3
Mr. William Claxon, aged 27, from Ireland, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1850 aboard the ship "Montezuma" 3
Ms. Mary Claxon, aged 55, from England, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1868 aboard the ship "City of London" 3

Claxon Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Algernon William Claxon, aged 33, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 aboard the ship "Minneapolis" 3
Mr. Diedrich Claxon, aged 23, who arrived at Ellis Island, New York in 1907 aboard the ship "Adriatic" 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Claxon (post 1700) +

Roscoe Claxon, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State House of Representatives 74th District, 1936-37 4

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html