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![Show Contents]() Donnyngton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England
The Anglo-Saxon name Donnyngton comes from when the family resided by a stream at the hill. The surname Donnyngton originally derived from the Old English word Dunestorp which later changed to Donnington. The surname Donnyngton is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came. Early Origins of the Donnyngton familyThe surname Donnyngton was first found in Leicestershire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, some say well before the Norman Conquest and the arrival of Duke William at Hastings in 1066 A.D. Early History of the Donnyngton familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Donnyngton research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1532 is included under the topic Early Donnyngton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Donnyngton Spelling VariationsThe 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. Donnyngton has been recorded under many different variations, including Donnington, Donington, Donnyngton, Donyngton and many more. Early Notables of the Donnyngton familyNotables of this surname at this time include: Thomas Donington, B. Decr. (died 1532), Dean of York and Southwell. "Donington was formally instituted to Aughton by Cardinal Wolsey, as legate 'a latere,' and had, it would appear, obtained possession, but on the Feast of the Assumption, when prepared to say mass and preach the word of God, was ousted by Brian Moorcroft. The latter was chaplain of Edward Molyneux, rector of Sefton, described...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Donnyngton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Donnyngton familyFor 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 Donnyngton or a variant listed above: Nicholas Dunington arrived in Virginia in 1651; Robert Donington arrived in Virginia in 1721; William Donington arrived in New England in 1746.
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