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Wootton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Wootton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The lineage of the name Wootton begins with the Anglo-Saxon tribes in Britain. It is a result of when they lived in the county of Kent. Their name, however, is derived from the Old English words wudu, meaning wood, and tun, meaning enclosure or settlement, and indicates that the original bearer of the name lived in a town by a wood. "Besides parishes in many counties, there are innumerable manors, hamlets, and single houses in England so called. The word is Anglo-Saxon, and signifies the woody enclosure." [1]

There are numerous places named Wooton throughout Britain, the oldest is Wooton Bassett in Wiltshire that dates back to 680, followed by Wooton Wawen in Warwickshire that dates back to 716-37 and is obviously a Anglo-Saxon place name. [2]

Early Origins of the Wootton family

The surname Wootton was first found in Kent where they held a family seat at Marlay, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066. By the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, the name was scattered throughout Britain as in Robert de Wottone and Thomas de Wodeton in Devon, Fredeshet de Wottone in Buckinghamshire, John atte Wodeton in London and John de Wodeton or John de Wutton in Oxfordshire. [3]

"Wotton, [in the parish of Landrake, Cornwall] which was formerly a seat belonging to an ancient family of the same name, has been totally demolished; but the estate connected with the house was carried with the heiress of Wotton to a branch of the Courtenays, after which it passed in a similar manner to the family of Rowse. " [4]

Early History of the Wootton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wootton research. Another 87 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1489, 1497, 1521, 1541, 1548, 1551, 1567, 1568, 1582, 1587, 1604, 1607, 1616, 1618, 1620, 1628, 1630, 1639, 1669, 1682 and 1764 are included under the topic Early Wootton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wootton Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Wootton has undergone many spelling variations, including Wooton, Wootton, Wootten, Wooten, Wooter, Wouters and others.

Early Notables of the Wootton family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Nicholas Wotton (c. 1497-1567), an English diplomat, Ambassador to France during the reign of Mary, Dean of Canterbury (1541-1567); and his brother, Sir Edward Wotton (1489-1551), Treasurer of Calais...

Wootton Ranking

In the United States, the name Wootton is the 15,007^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [5]

Wootton migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Wootton were among those contributors:

Wootton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Wootton, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 [6]
William Wootton, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 [6]
Thomas Wootton, aged 21, who landed in Virginia in 1683 [6]

Wootton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Charles Wootton, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869 [6]
John Charles Wootton, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1869 [6]

Wootton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Wootton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Wootton, who arrived in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Wootton migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Wootton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles Wootton, English convict from Staffordshire, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [7]
Mr. David Wootton, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia [8]
John Wootton, English Convict from Warton, who was transported aboard the "Aboukir" on December 24, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia [9]
Mr. Thomas Wootton, English convict who was convicted in Derby, England for 25 years, transported aboard the "Edwin Fox" on 24th August 1858, arriving in Western Australia, Australia

Wootton 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:

Wootton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

David Wootton, aged 28, a carpenter, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 [10]
Ann Wootton, aged 29, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 [10]
Charles Wootton, aged 10, who arrived in Nelson, New Zealand aboard the ship "Fifeshire" in 1842 [10]
George Wootton, aged 32, a plumber, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873 [10]
Ann Wootton, aged 27, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Edward P Bouverie" in 1873 [10]
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wootton (post 1700) +

Robert "Bob" Wootton (1942-2017), American guitarist, member of Johnny Cash's backing band, the Tennessee Three
Nicholas Wootton, American Emmy Award-winning writer for and producer for television
Leslie Roger Wootton (1944-2017), English aeronautical engineer and balloonist, Dean of engineering for City University
James "Jimmy" Wootton (1860-1941), English cricketer
Marc Wootton (b. 1975), English character comedian
James Wootton (1895-1960), English footballer
William "Billy" Wootton (b. 1904), English footballer
Scott James Wootton (b. 1991), English footballer
Mr. Frank W. Wootton, British Councillor, held the position of Sheriff of Nottingham, England from 1958 to 1959, he was Lord Mayor in 1964
Barbara Frances Wootton (1897-1988), Baroness Wootton of Abinger, a British sociologist and criminologist

Historic Events for the Wootton family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Desmond T Wootton (b. 1924), English Boy 1st Class serving for the Royal Navy from Aldbourne, Wiltshire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking [11]

HMS Prince of Wales

Mr. Frederick Joseph Wootton, English Marine from England, who sailed into battle on the HMS Prince of Wales (1941) and survived the sinking [12]

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 18) Aboukir voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Norfolk Island. [These convicts appear to have all landed in Van Diemen's Land], Australia in 1851 with 280 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/aboukir/1851
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
H.M.S. Hood Association-Battle Cruiser Hood: Crew Information - H.M.S. Hood Rolls of Honour, Men Lost in the Sinking of H.M.S. Hood, 24th May 1941. (Retrieved 2016, July 15) . Retrieved from http://www.hmshood.com/crew/memorial/roh_24may41.htm
HMS Prince of Wales Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listprincecrew.html