Washington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Washington

What does the name Washington mean?

Washington is one of the names that was brought to England in the wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Washington family lived in Lancashire, at Washington. The name of this village derives from the Old English word wassingatun, meaning a settlement of the people of Wassa, a personal name which combines Old English elements meaning hunt and victory.

Early Origins of the Washington family

The surname Washington was first found in Durham at Washington, a parish, in the union of Chesterle-Street, E. division of Chester ward. It is said that from this parish rose the stock that George Washington, the American patriot claims descent. 1 2 There is another parish named Washington in Sussex.

Early History of the Washington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Washington research. Another 120 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1451, 1602, 1631, 1653, 1659, 1677, 1694, 1698 and 1743 are included under the topic Early Washington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Washington Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, Norman French and other languages became incorporated into English throughout the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Washington include Washington, Washingtone and others.

Early Notables of the Washington family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Wessington (d. 1451), Prior of Durham, "was possibly born at, and took his name from, a village in the county of Durham, now known as Washington. " 3
Reverend Lawrence Washington (1602-1653), was an English rector, and the great-great-grandfather of George Washington
John Washington (c. 1631-1677), an English Virginia planter and politician from Purleigh, Essex, ancestor and great-grandfather of George Washington, first president of the United States of America; a...
Augustine Washington (1694-1743) was the father of the first U.S. President George Washington who belonged to the Colony of Virginia's landed gentry and was a planter and a slaveholder

Washington Ranking

In the United States, the name Washington is the 90^th most popular surname with an estimated 228,804 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Washington family to Ireland

Some of the Washington 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.

Washington migration to the United States +

In England at this time, the uncertainty of the political and religious environment of the time caused many families to board ships for distant British colonies in the hopes of finding land and opportunity, and escaping persecution. The voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, though, and many arrived in North America sick, starved, and destitute. Those who did make it, however, were greeted with greater opportunities and freedoms that they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Early immigration records have shown some of the first Washingtons to arrive on North American shores:

Washington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Washington, who arrived in Virginia in 1639 5
John and Lawrence Washington, who settled in Boston, Massachusetts in 1657
Edw Washington, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 5
Hen Washington, who landed in Virginia in 1664 5
Lawrence Washington, who landed in Virginia in 1677 5

Washington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jededia Washington, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
Eliz Washington, who landed in Virginia in 1705 5
Richard Washington, who settled in Maryland in 1718

Washington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Washington, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
Col. Washington, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
J W Washington, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
George Washington, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1866
W H Washington, who arrived in Mississippi in 1885 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Washington migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Washington Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Margaret Washington, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1827
Bridget Washington, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1831
John Washington, who arrived in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843
Martin Washington, who landed in Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1843

Washington migration to Australia +

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

Washington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Washington, British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 27th October 1819, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Mr. Thomas Washington, English convict who was convicted in Chester, Cheshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Camden" on 21st September 1832, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
James Washington, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 8
Ann Washington, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 8
Selina Washington, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Orleana" in 1840 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Washington 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:

Washington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. George Washington, (b. 1804), aged 43, British settler born in England arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 9
Mrs. Esther Washington née Prebble, (b. 1828), aged 19, British settler born in England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 9
Mr. George William Washington, (b. 1847), aged 1, British settler born in Buckinghamshire travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 9

Washington migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10

Washington Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Thomas Washington, who settled in Barbados in 1670

Contemporary Notables of the name Washington (post 1700) +

President George Washington (1732-1799), Commander-in-Chief of United States forces in the American Revolution and the first President of the United States
U. L. Washington (1953-2024), American professional baseball player and coach
McKinley Washington Jr. (1936-2022), American politician, Member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1975 to 1990 and the South Carolina Senate from 1990 to 2000
David V. Washington (1948-2021), American football linebacker who played for five teams in an eleven-year career that lasted from 1970 to 1980 in the National Football League
Harold Lee Washington (1922-1987), American lawyer, politician, 42nd Mayor of Chicago (1983-1987), the first African-American Mayor of Chicago
Fredericka Carolyn "Fredi" Washington (1903-1994), American dramatic film actress
Booker Taliaferro Washington (1856-1915), American educator, author, orator, and advisor to American presidents
Lorenzo Washington (1986-2021), American professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL)
Claudell Washington (1954-2020), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played from 1974 to 1990
Ulysses S. Washington (1920-2018), American college football player and coach
... (Another 33 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Washington family +

USS Arizona

Mr. Joseph H. Washington, American Mess Attendant First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 11

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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 12th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ORLEANA 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840Orleana.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html