Contents [hide]

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

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Darlington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Darlington

What does the name Darlington mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Darlington comes from when the family resided in the lands of Darlington which originally derived from Deorling's farm or manor. 1

Early Origins of the Darlington family

The surname Darlington was first found in Durham at Darlington, a market-town and parish, and the head of a union, in the S. E. division of Darlington ward.

"This place, the name of which is of Saxon derivation, is of considerable antiquity, and towards the close of the tenth century was, with its dependencies, granted by Seir, son of Ulphus, in the presence of King Ethelred and Archbishop Wulston, to St. Cuthbert, patron of the see of Durham, of which Aldune was then bishop. " 2

John of Darlington (d. 1284), an Englishman was Archbishop of Dublin and theologian, "whose name suggests that either he or his family came from Darlington. He became a Dominican friar, and it is probable that he studied at Paris at the Dominican priory of St. James. " 3

Early History of the Darlington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Darlington research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1281 and 1296 are included under the topic Early Darlington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Darlington Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Darlington include Darlington, Derlington, Darlingtone, Derlingtone and many more.

Early Notables of the Darlington family

Notables of the family at this time include

John Darlington head of the family in the 13th century

Darlington Ranking

In the United States, the name Darlington is the 12,860^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Darlington migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Darlington Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham and John Darlington, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1711
James Darlington who settled in Maryland in 1739

Darlington Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joseph Darlington, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1856
Mr. Fred Darlington, (b. 1874), aged 25, American miner, from Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "St Paul" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 23rd December 1899 en route to Deadwood, South Dakota, USA 5

Darlington Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mrs. Lilly Darlington, (b. 1872), aged 33, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 4th June 1905 en route to Lead City, South Dakota, USA 5
Mr. William Darlington, (b. 1899), aged 6, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 4th June 1905 en route to Lead City, South Dakota, USA 5
Miss Dorothy Darlington, (b. 1902), aged 3, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 4th June 1905 en route to Lead City, South Dakota, USA 5
Mr. Edward George Darlington, (b. 1901), aged 4, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 4th June 1905 en route to Lead City, South Dakota, USA 5

Darlington migration to Australia +

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

Darlington Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Benjamin Darlington, English convict who was convicted in Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in April 1815, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 6
Sarah Darlington, English convict from Manchester, Lancaster, who was transported aboard the "Anna Maria" on October 4, 1851, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 7
Charles Darlington, aged 22, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Epaminondas" 8

Darlington 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:

Darlington Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Darlington, aged 23, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
Ellen Darlington, aged 21, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Eveline" in 1865 9
Mr. John Darlington, South African settler travelling from Cape Town aboard the ship "Eveline" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd January 1865 10
Mrs. Ellen Darlington, South African settler travelling from Cape Town aboard the ship "Eveline" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 22nd January 1865 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Darlington (post 1700) +

Sidney Darlington (1906-1997), American electrical engineer and inventor of a transistor configuration in 1953, named the Darlington pair, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1945
Charles F. Darlington (1901-1986), American diplomat, United States Ambassador to Gabon from 1961 to 1965
Kevin Godfrey Darlington (b. 1972), Guyanese born American cricketer
Jeff Darlington (b. 1981), American sportswriter and commentator for the NFL Network and NFL.com
Smedley Darlington (1827-1899), American politician, Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Isaac Darlington (1781-1839), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1817-1819)
Edward Darlington (1795-1884), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (1833-1839)
William Darlington (1782-1863), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania
Christiana N. Darlington, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2008
Charles L. Darlington, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1916
... (Another 21 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Darlington 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: Cruce dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: Whilst I have breath my hope is in the cross.

Citations +

Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
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/
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anna Maria voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1851 with 200 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anna-maria/1851
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) EPAMINONDAS 1852. Retrieved www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/epaminondas1852.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 4th November 2011). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html