Wiston History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Early Origins of the Wiston family

The surname Wiston was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they held a family seat from ancient times in the reign of King Malcolm IV in 1153, in the village of Wicestun.

Further south in England, Whiston can be found in Lancashire, Northamptonshire, Staffordshire and Yorkshire. Here the place name literally means "white stone." 1

Early History of the Wiston family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wiston research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1200, 1260, 1292, 1300, 1358, 1667, 1699, 1752 and 1780 are included under the topic Early Wiston History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiston Spelling Variations

The variation in the spelling of Medieval names is a result of the lack of spelling rules in the English language prior to the last few hundred years. Before that time, scribes spelled according to sound, often varying the spelling of name within a single document. Wiston has appeared as Whiston, Wiston and others.

Early Notables of the Wiston family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir Henry, Lord of Wiceston; and William Whiston (1667-1752), an English theologian, historian, and mathematician, best known for his translation of the Antiquities of the Jews. His son, John Whiston (d. 1780), was an English bookseller "and was probably born within five years of his father's marriage...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Wiston Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Wiston family to Ireland

Some of the Wiston family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiston migration to the United States +

As the persecution of Clan families continued, they sailed for North America in increasing numbers. In most cases, they found the freedom and opportunity they sought. Land was often available and the American War of Independence allowed Scots an opportunity to solidify their independence from the English crown. These settlers and their ancestors went on to play essential roles in the forging of the nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Wiston Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

H Wiston, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2

Wiston migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wiston Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Catha Wiston, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Samuel Wiston, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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)