Contents [hide]

Seaton History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Seaton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

Etymology of Seaton

What does the name Seaton mean?

This Clan was first found in East Lothian where they were granted lands by Earl David, King of Scotland and were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated on the lands of Saytown in that shire. They were originally from Say near Exmes in Normandy. The name probably once meant 'sea town.' 1

Early Origins of the Seaton family

The surname Seaton was first found in East Lothian, where they were granted lands by Earl David, King of Scotland. The township of Seaton in the East Risding of Yorkshire was home to another branch of the family. "This place, in Domesday Book called Setton, at an early period gave name to a resident family; and in the thirteenth century, the abbey of Meaux received a grant of some property here." 2

North Seaton has similarly the same lineage. "This place appears to have been at an early period in the possession of the Seaton family, and in the thirteenth century part was owned by the priory of Tynemouth and the hospital of St. John of Jerusalem." 2

One of the more interesting early records of the family was Sir Alexander Seton (fl. 1311-1340), keeper of Berwick, probably a brother of Sir Christopher Seton. "His name is found among those of the Scottish nobles who, in 1320, signed the letter to the pope asserting the independence of Scotland. From Robert I he received the manor of Tranent and other lands, as well as the fortalice and lands of Fawside." 3

His brother, the aforementioned Sir Christopher Seton (1278?-1306), was a close friend of Robert the Bruce.

Early History of the Seaton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Seaton research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1531, 1549, 1555, 1586, 1598, 1604, 1615, 1620, 1622, 1626, 1639, 1649, 1672, 1684, 1686, 1691, 1694, 1715, 1719, 1741 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Seaton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seaton Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Seaton, Seton, Sayton and others.

Early Notables of the Seaton family

Notable among the family at this time was

Alexander Seaton (1626-1649), Scottish mercenary in Danish service during the Thirty Years' War. He served as a governor in the Battle of Stralsund and as an admiral in the Torstenson War
The Reverend Thomas Seaton (baptised 1684-1741), Church of England clergyman and religious writer

Seaton Ranking

In the United States, the name Seaton is the 3,458^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Seaton family to Ireland

Some of the Seaton family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 50 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Seaton migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Seaton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Seaton, aged 19, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Globe" 5
Jon Seaton, who landed in Virginia in 1637 5
Samuel Seaton, who landed in Maryland in 1668 5

Seaton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Seaton, who arrived in New England in 1727 5
Ismenia Seaton, who landed in New England in 1729 5
John Seaton, who arrived in New England in 1729 5
Mary Seaton, who landed in New England in 1729 5
Andrew Seaton, who arrived in New England in 1740 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Seaton, who landed in New York in 1807 5
Washington Seaton, aged 18, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1813 5
John Seaton, who settled in Boston in 1822
Mannin Seaton, who arrived in New York, NY in 1837 5
Thomas Seaton, who landed in Mississippi in 1839 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Seaton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Seaton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Henry Seaton, who landed in Esquimalt, British Columbia in 1862

Seaton migration to Australia +

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

Seaton Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century

Mr. Charles Seaton, English sawyer who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6

Seaton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Seaton, British Convict who was convicted in York, Yorkshire, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. George Seaton, (Sutherland, Solomon), Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 27th September 1834, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
Thomas Seaton, aged 42, a shepherd, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 9
Patrick Seaton, aged 22, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Nugget" 10
Anne Seaton, aged 20, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Nugget" 10

Seaton 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:

Seaton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Seaton, aged 25, a mechanic, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
Marion Seaton, aged 25, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
Jessie Agnes Seaton, aged 4, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
Marion Seaton, aged 3, who arrived in Otago aboard the ship "Philip Laing" in 1848
Mr. James Seaton, Scottish settler travelling from Greenock aboard the ship "Philip Laing" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 15th April 1848 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Seaton (post 1700) +

Sandra Cecelia Browne Seaton (b. 1942), American playwright and librettist, recipient of the Mark Twain Award in 2012
Thomas Gordon Seaton (1887-1942), American Major League Baseball pitcher, active (1912-1917)
William Winston Seaton (1785-1866), American journalist and politician, Mayor of Washington D.C
Peter Seaton (1942-2010), American poet
George Seaton (1911-1979), American two-time Academy Award winning and Golden Globe winning screenwriter, playwright, film director and producer, best known for his Miracle on 34th Street
Frederick Andrew Seaton (1909-1974), United States Secretary of the Interior, 1956-1961 and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
James Seaton (1822-1882), Scottish-born, New Zealand politician, Member of Parliament from Dunedin
Sir Samuel Weymouth Tapley Seaton GCMG, CVO, KC, JP (1950-2023), Saint Kitts and Nevis politician, 4th Governor-General of Saint Kitts and Nevis from 2015 to 2023
Major-General Sir Thomas Seaton (1806-1876), British Army officer, the son of John Fox Seaton of Pontefract
John Thomas Seaton (1761-1806), English portrait-painter, son of Christopher Seaton, a gem-engraver
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Seaton family +

HMS Royal Oak

Ernest Frank Seaton (d. 1939), British Boy 1st Class with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 12

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EPAMINONDAS 1852. Retrieved www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/epaminondas1852.shtml
South Australian Register Tuesday 4th July 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Nugget 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/nugget1854.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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