Kirkton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The ancient history of the Kirkton name begins with the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from when the family resided in the region of Kirkton which referred to site where a church was in Berkshire. Kirkton is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. Habitation names form the other broad category of surnames that were derived from place-names. They were derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Other local names are derived from the names of houses, manors, estates, regions, and entire counties.

Early Origins of the Kirkton family

The surname Kirkton was first found in Lincolnshire where "the Kirketons, ennobled by the title of Baron by Edward III., derived their name and title from Kirkton, now Kirton." 1 One of the earliest records of the family was that of Edmund Kirkton (d. 1466), the English prelate and Abbot of Westminister.

Further to the north in Scotland, "this surname appears in several records in different parts of the country and as the place name is common it is possible that persons bearing this surname are of different origin. Wilham de Kirketon appears as witness in Aberdeen in 1243. Adam de Kirketone of the county of Edneburk rendered homage in 1296." 2

Early History of the Kirkton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Kirkton research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1270, 1296, 1466, 1620, 1674, 1676 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Kirkton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Kirkton Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Kirkton include Kirton, Kirkton, Kirtman and others.

Early Notables of the Kirkton family

Distinguished members of the family include

James Kirkton (1620-1699), was a Scottish divine and historian. In 1674, he was denounced as a rebel for holding conventicles and in June 1676, he was seized but was rescued by his brother in law

Migration of the Kirkton family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Kirkton or a variant listed above: Phillip and Sarah Kirton settled in Barbados in 1680 with their servants; William Kirton settled in Barbados in 1673; Anthony Kirton settled in New England in 1769..

Contemporary Notables of the name Kirkton (post 1700) +

Jeanne Kirkton, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives 91st District; elected 2012 3

Citations +

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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 6) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html