Hathorn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Hathorn first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the settlement of Hawthorn in the county of Durham, or near a hawthorn shrub or tree. Thus, the surname Hathorn belongs both the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads, and to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The surname Hathorn is derived from the Old English word haguthorn, which means hawthorn.

Early Origins of the Hathorn family

The surname Hathorn was first found in Durham at Hawthorn, a township in the parish of Easington. The township dates back to 1155 when it was originally spelt Hagethorn and literally meant "place at the hawthorn," from the Old English "hagu-thorn." 1 The place is most significant as "on the 5th of November, 1824, not less than 50 vessels perished in a storm immediately off this part, and the crews of all were lost, with the exception of the crew of one only, who were enabled to effect their escape by means of a rope, thrown from the vessel, and brought to land by a Newfoundland dog belonging to Major Anderson." 2 "The New England family of this name left this country [(England)] in or before 1634, and until recently wrote themselves Hathorne." 3 In Scotland, the name is an old Galloway name. "A family of the name were proprietors of Meikle or Over Aires in the parish of Kirkinner." 4 In other parts of England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 revealed: Galfridus Hackthom in Huntingdonshire; and John atte Horethorne in Somerset. 5

Early History of the Hathorn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hathorn research. Another 143 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1455, 1484, 1602, 1606, 1628, 1630, 1641, 1681, 1692, 1717, 1804, 1864 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Hathorn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hathorn Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Hathorn has appeared include Hawthorne, Hathorne, Hawthorn and others.

Early Notables of the Hathorn family

Notables of the family at this time include

Major William Hathorne (ca. 1606-1681), English immigrant to North America in 1630

Hathorn Ranking

In the United States, the name Hathorn is the 9,961^st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Hathorn family to Ireland

Some of the Hathorn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hathorn migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Hathorn arrived in North America very early:

Hathorn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Hathorn, aged 20, who arrived in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Hathorn (post 1700) +

Robert B. Hathorn, American politician, U.S. Collector of Internal Revenue for the 5th New Jersey District, 1879 8
John Hathorn (1749-1825), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Orange County, 1777-78, 1779-80, 1781-85, 1794-95, 1804-05; Member of New York State Senate Middle District, 1786-89, 1799-1803 8
Henry Harrison Hathorn (1813-1887), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from New York, 1873-77 8
Going Hathorn, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1860 8
F. C. Hathorn, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Mississippi, 1928 8
Christopher Maitland Howard Hathorn (1878-1920), South African cricketer who played in 12 Tests from 1902 to 1911
David Hathorn (b. 1962), South African based businessman and chief executive of Mondi Group
Libby Hathorn, Australian writer, winner of the 2003 Centenary Medal
Gina Hathorn (b. 1946), British alpine skier who competed at the 1964, 1968 and 1972 Winter Olympics
Linda Hathorn (b. 1982), born Linda Consolante, Canadian soccer defender, who won the silver medal with the Canadian women's national soccer team at the 2003 Pan American Games

The Hathorn Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Stabo
Motto Translation: I shall stand.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 5) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html