| ![Show Contents]() Elston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Elston name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Nottinghamshire or Wiltshire. The name could also be classified as a baptismal name as in the son of Elstan and an earlier personal name Dunstan. Early Origins of the Elston familyThe surname Elston was first found in Nottinghamshire at Elston, a small village that lies between the rivers Trent and Devon and dates back to at least the Domesday Book where it was listed as Elvestune, Eluestune and Eluestune 1 and probably meant "farmstead of a man called Eilafr" from an Old Scandinavian personal name + tun. 2 The less likely local that the name could have been derived from is Elston in Wiltshire, a hamlet in the parish of St. George which was also listed in the Domesday Book, but as Wintreburne. 1 The variant Elstob is most interesting. This family hails from Elstob, a township in the parish of Stainton, County Durham. 3 4 This very small township (only 27 inhabitants in the late 1800's) 5 was the homestead of some remarkable people who we will soon discover. Early Assize Rolls listed Philip de Ellestob and William de Ellestobe 1235-1236 and Philip de Ellestob in 1269. 6 Further to the north in Scotland, the name hails from "the lands of Elliston near Bowden, Roxburghshire where John, son of Iliue de Iliuestun or Ylif de Ylifstun, held these lands in the reign of Alexander II, and Laurence Ylifstun is mentioned in 1249. " 7 Early History of the Elston familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Elston research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1587, 1637, 1662, 1673, 1683, 1685, 1715, 1718, 1721, 1758, 1774, 1790, 1791, 1801, 1831 and 1864 are included under the topic Early Elston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Elston Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Elston has undergone many spelling variations, including Elston, Elstone, Elliston, Elsden, Elsdon, Elson and others. Early Notables of the Elston familyDistinguished members of the family include Elizabeth Elstob (1683-1758), Anglo-Saxon scholar, born on 29 Sept. 1683 in St. Nicholas parish, Newcastle-on-Tyne. She was the sister of William Elstob (1673-1715.) He was an English divine, son of Ralph Elstob, merchant of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was baptised at All Saints' Church, Newcastle, on 1 Jan. 1673. 8William Elstob (1673-1715), was an English divine, son of Ralph Elstob, merchant of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, was baptised...
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Elston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Elston RankingIn the United States, the name Elston is the 4,129th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 9
 Elston migration to the United States | + |
To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Elston were among those contributors:
Elston Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- John Elston who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1630
- Mr. John Elston, British settler who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet 10
- John Elston, who arrived in Virginia in 1665-1666 11
Elston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- John and Sarah Elston, who settled in Belfast, Maine in 1820
- David Elston, who landed in New York in 1836 11
| Elston migration to Canada | + |
Some of the first settlers of this family name were: Elston Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century- Mr. Abraham Elston U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 12
| Elston migration to Australia | + |
Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include: Elston Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century- Mr. Daniel Elston, English convict who was convicted in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 13
- Thomas Elston, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 14
| Contemporary Notables of the name Elston (post 1700) | + |
- Robert Gene Elston (1922-2015), American Major League Baseball broadcaster for the Houston Astros, awarded the Ford C. Frick Award from the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2006
- Casey Elston, American music writer (rock and roll)
- Don Elston (b. 1929), American baseball player
- Michael James Elston (b. 1969), American lawyer and political appointee in the administration of President George W. Bush
- Gene Elston (b. 1922), long-time baseball announcer, primarily with the Houston Astros
- Lewis Elston Cardiff (1889-1969), Canadian politician, Member of Parliament for Huron North (1940-1953)
- Tony Elston Blain (b. 1962), New Zealand cricketer from Nelson
- Michael Elston Phipps (b. 1947), American professional (NFL) football quarterback
- Elston Marsh, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly, 1847-48, 1859-60 15
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
- 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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
- State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
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Elston migration to the United States 
Elston migration to Canada 
Elston migration to Australia 
England
Scotland
