Keton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Keton is an old Anglo-Saxon name. It comes from when a family lived in either of the settlements called Ketton in Durham or Rutland, or in the place called Keaton in Ermington, in Devon. 1 The surname Keton 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 Keton family

The surname Keton was first found in Leicestershire. One of the first records of the family was Robert of Ketton (Latin: Robertus Cetenensis) (c. 1110-1160), an English medieval theologian, astronomer, translator and Arabist. His is thought to have been from village in Rutland, near Stamford, Lincolnshire. Today Ketton is a village and civil parish in Rutland in the East Midlands but dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was known as Chetone. 2 It is thought that the village name originated from "an old river name, possibly a derivation of the Celtic "ced" meaning "wood" + the Old English word "ea" meaning "river." 3

The second record of the family was Robert de Keton who was listed in the Calendar of Inquisitiones post mortem from Nottinghamshire in 1362. 4 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list: Johannes de Keton; and Henry de Ketton. Thomas Keton was rector of Langale and Kirksted, Norfolk in 1506. 5

Early History of the Keton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Keton research. Another 248 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1134, 1143, 1362, 1379, 1397, 1399, 1423, 1500, 1506 and 1805 are included under the topic Early Keton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Keton Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Keton were recorded, including Keaton, Keeton, Ketton, Keton, Ketyn, Keetyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Keton family

Notables of the family at this time include

Thomas Keton was the Rector of Langdale and Kirksted in the county of Norfolk in the early 1500s...

Keton migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Keton family emigrate to North America:

Keton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Keton, who arrived in Virginia in 1706 6
William Keton, who landed in Virginia in 1711 6

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
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)