Putney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Putney first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in Puttenham, a place-name found in the counties of Hertfordshire and Surrey. 1 2 Both place-names have an identical etymology. They are derived from the Old English word ham, which means farm, and either the Old English personal name Putta, or the Old English word putta, which means hawk. The place-name taken as a whole means "farm belonging to Putta," or "farm where there are hawks." 3

Early Origins of the Putney family

The surname Putney was first found in Hertfordshire at Puttenham, a small village and parish, in the union of Berkhampstead, hundred of Dacorum. 4 The parish is listed as Puteham in the Domesday Book of 1086. 5 1

Puttenham, Surrey is another parish in the First division of the hundred of Godalming. 4 The first record of this local was in 1199 when it was listed as Puteham. 3

Puttenham Priory is a large house at the eastern end of the village and dates back to 1266. St John the Baptist church "occupies a picturesque situation close to the mansion of Puttenham Priory, is in the later English style, and contains some ancient brasses." 4

One of the first records of the family was Ralph de Puteham who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1205 for Berkshire. 6Later we found Richard de Puteham in Buckinghamshire in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273. 7

Early History of the Putney family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Putney research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1520, 1529, 1588, 1589, 1590, 1601, 1615, 1621, 1651, 1679, 1686, 1692, 1699, 1716 and 1774 are included under the topic Early Putney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Putney 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 Putney has appeared include Puttenham, Putnam, Putman and others.

Early Notables of the Putney family

Notables of this surname at this time include: George Puttenham (1529-1590), English writer who is the reputed author of "The Arte of English Poesie" (1589). His brother Richard Puttenham (1520?-1601?) has also been credited as the author of the same source. The issue is that the publication was issued anonymously in 1589. "The full title ran: 'The Arte of English Poesie, contrived into three bookes; the first of Poets and Poesie, the second of Proportion, the third of Ornament,' London, by Richard Field, 1589. It was licensed to Thomas Orwin on 9 Nov. 1588, and Orwin transferred it to Richard Field...
Another 143 words (10 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Putney Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Putney Ranking

In the United States, the name Putney is the 11,798^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Putney 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 Putney arrived in North America very early:

Putney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G Putney, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 9
L K Putney, aged 50, who landed in America, in 1896
Lo. S. Putney, aged 44, who landed in America, in 1896

Putney Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Albert Putney, aged 48, who immigrated to the United States, in 1904
Walter Putney, aged 49, who immigrated to the United States, in 1905
Edmonds Putney, aged 32, who settled in America, in 1907
Geo H Putney, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
Eva Carr Putney, aged 34, who immigrated to the United States, in 1907
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Putney migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Putney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Putney, aged 23, a brickmaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Oliver Lang" in 1856

Contemporary Notables of the name Putney (post 1700) +

Lacey Edward Putney (1928-2017), American politician, Member of the Virginia House of Delegates (1983-2014), (1972-1983) and (1962-1972)
Will Putney, American producer, mixer, and engineer
Michael Putney, American two-time Emmy Award winning senior political television reporter and columnist
J.T. Putney (1928-2001), American NASCAR Grand National Series race car driver
John Putney (b. 1944), American politician, Member of the Iowa Senate (2003-2009)
Martha Putney (1961-2008), American historian
Mary Jo Putney, best-selling American historical romance author
Lacey E. Putney, American politician, Member of Virginia State House of Delegates 19th District; Elected 2011 10
George S. Putney, American politician, Member of Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Armstrong County, 1871 10
Freeman Putney Jr., American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Massachusetts 13th District, 1940 10
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
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.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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)
"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 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html