Hawten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Hawten

What does the name Hawten mean?

The Hawten surname appears to have arisen from at least two distinct sources. It is thought to have come from the Old French word "hautain" meaning "haughty," and was a nickname which in turn became a surname. It is also thought to have derived from the Old English "hall" + "thane," which was an occupational name for someone who worked in the hall of a feudal lord.

Early Origins of the Hawten family

The surname Hawten was first found in Norfolk where the first on record is a Walter Halteyn listed in the registers of St. Benet of Holme 1138-40. The same volumes list a Theobal Hauthein or Halpein in 1153-68; while Eborard Halthein was recorded in neighboring Suffolk in 1146-75. In circa 1210-1220, a Robert Hawten or Hawethirn was the Constable of Banbury Castle, Oxfordshire.

Early History of the Hawten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hawten research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1379, 1400, 1501, 1537 and 1574 are included under the topic Early Hawten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hawten Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Hawten, Hawtin, Hawtayne and others.

Early Notables of the Hawten family

John Hawten of Ley, county Oxford whose coat of arms was recorded on a visitation in 1574

Hawten migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Hawten or a variant listed above were:

Hawten Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Hawten, who arrived in Virginia in 1643 1

Sources +

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)