Show ContentsHindon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Hindon

What does the name Hindon mean?

The Hindon name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in the parish of Hinton in the diocese of Salisbury, Winchester, Oxford, Peterborough, Bath and Wells.

There are two very different origins of the word Hinton. First, it means "high (or chief) farmstead," from the Old English "heah" + "tun," and secondly it means "farmstead belonging to a religious community," from the Old English "hiwan" + "tun." 1

From the many parishes found, the oldest is Hinton St. Mary, Dorset which was known in Saxon times as Hamtune in 944. 1

Hinton-in-the-Hedges is a small village and civil parish in West Northamptonshire, England. A church has existed here since Saxon times. The earliest recorded Rector was Sir Richard de Hynton in 1275. There is a monument to Sir William Hinton found here.

Early Origins of the Hindon family

The surname Hindon was first found in the Domesday Book of 1086 where Robert de Hintona was listed. 2

Years later, Thomas de Hyneton was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1230 in Dorset and later, Thomas Hynton was found in the Feet of Fines for Essex in 1385. 3

The "Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I" included some of the early entries for the family: Thomas de Hynton, Oxfordshire; Lucia de Hineton, Berkshire; and Matilda de Hinton, Middlesex. 4

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed John de Hinton, Cambridgeshire; and Roger de Hinton, Dorset. 5

Early History of the Hindon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hindon research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1615, 1627, 1633, 1634, 1637, 1640, 1655, 1664, 1682, 1692 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Hindon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hindon Spelling Variations

Only 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 Hindon has undergone many spelling variations, including Hinton, Hynton, Hintone and others.

Early Notables of the Hindon family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir John Hinton (1603?-1682), English Royalist, born in London about 1603. "On 10 April 1633 he entered Leyden University, where he probably proceeded M.D. He presented himself at the censor's board of the Royal College of Physicians on 6 February 1634, but, as he had not then been engaged in practice for the statutable period of four years, was not examined. On 7 November 1640 he again appeared at...
Another 77 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Hindon Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Hindon 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 Hindon were among those contributors:

Hindon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Nathaniel Hindon, who landed in Virginia in 1726 6


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  4. Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. 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)


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