Watten History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Watten was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Watten family lived in Nottingham, at Whatton. The name of this town derives from the Old English words hvaete, meaning wheat, and tun, meaning settlement or enclosure. 1

Early Origins of the Watten family

The surname Watten was first found in Nottingham where a Norman noble, Robert de Watone, the youngest son of Gaitier de Tirell, Seigneur de Poix in Picardy, was granted the Lordship of Wattone in the Vale in that shire, and it was shown in the Domesday Survey of 1086. 2

Today, there are numerous places in Britain by the name Watton: Watton, Devon; Watton, East Riding of Yorkshire; Watton, Norfolk; and Watton-at-Stone, Hertfordshire.

Early History of the Watten family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Watten research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Watten History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watten Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Wattone, Watone, Wathon, Watton, Watten, Wattan, Whattone, Whatone, Whathon and many more.

Early Notables of the Watten family

More information is included under the topic Early Watten Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Watten migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Watten or a variant listed above:

Watten Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jenkin Watten, who settled in Virginia in 1654
Margarett Watten, who arrived in Virginia in 1657 3

Watten Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Watten settled in Georgia

Watten migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Watten Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

T. Watten, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1822 4

Historic Events for the Watten family +

HMS Royal Oak

Reginald P. Watten, British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 5

The Watten Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fidei coticula crux
Motto Translation: The cross is the test of truth.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Ships hit by U-boats crew list HMS Royal Oak (08) - (Retrieved 2018 February, 9th) - retrieved from https://uboat.net/allies/merchants/crews/ship68.html