Duckworthay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Duckworthay is a name of ancient Anglo-Saxon origin and comes from the family once having lived in the settlement of Duckworth in the county of Lancashire. 1 The surname Duckworthay belongs to the large category of Anglo-Saxon habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads.

Early Origins of the Duckworthay family

The surname Duckworthay was first found in Cambridgeshire where one of the earliest records is of Hugo de Duckworth in 1216 who was listed in the Rotuli de Oblatis et Finibus (p. 587) and his descendant Sire John Duckworth was summoned to a great council of Westminster in 1324. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Henricus de Dukeworth and Johannes Dukeworth as holding lands there at that time. 1

Early History of the Duckworthay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Duckworthay research. Another 191 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1310, 1379, 1647, 1648 and 1695 are included under the topic Early Duckworthay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Duckworthay Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Duckworthay family name include Duckworth, Dykeward, Duckword, Duckward, Duckwort, Duckwart, Dickworth, Dickward, Dickword and many more.

Early Notables of the Duckworthay family

Another 45 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Duckworthay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Duckworthay family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Duckworthay surname or a spelling variation of the name include: J. Duckworth who settled in New Orleans in 1823; J. Duckworth settled in New York in 1823; H. Duckworth settled in San Francisco Cal. in 1852.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)