Show ContentsSettles History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Settles family

The surname Settles was first found in Lancashire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Settle held by Norman noble Roger le Poitvan who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Settle is a charming town on the River Ribble.

Early History of the Settles family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Settles research. Another 46 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1575, 1593, 1648, 1724 and 1900 are included under the topic Early Settles History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Settles Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Settle, Settles, Settel, Settels and others.

Early Notables of the Settles family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Settle (fl. 1575-1593), an English divine who matriculated as pensioner at Queens' College, Cambridge, in 1575, but left...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Settles Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Settles Ranking

In the United States, the name Settles is the 4,740th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Settles family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Judith Settle, who came to Virginia in 1641; Fran Settle, who came to Virginia in 1657; John Settle, who settled in Virginia in 1660; Jno Settle, who settled in Virginia in 1666.


Contemporary Notables of the name Settles (post 1700) +

  • Tony Settles (b. 1964), former American football linebacker
  • Spencer Gene Settles (b. 1953), American football defensive linebacker
  • Ron Settles (1959-1981), American football player from Long Beach State, California who died in his cell mysteriously. The case was never solved
  • W.R. Settles, Texas oil Baron who built the Settles Hotel in Big Spring, Texas


  1. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/


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