Trotter History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Trotter family

The surname Trotter was first found in Berwickshire where their first seat was at Prentannan in that shire, and in Durham where Robert Trotter was tenant-in-Chief of King Edward the Confessor in the year 1050.

Early History of the Trotter family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Trotter research. Another 241 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1370, 1479, 1570, 1715, 1745 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Trotter History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trotter Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Trotter, Troter, Trottar, Trotman, Troutman and others.

Early Notables of the Trotter family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Robert Trotter, scion of the family

Trotter Ranking

In the United States, the name Trotter is the 1,543^rd most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1 However, in New Zealand, the name Trotter is ranked the 828^th most popular surname with an estimated 880 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Trotter family to Ireland

Some of the Trotter family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Trotter migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Trotter Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Trotter, who arrived in Newbury, Massachusetts in 1652 3
John and Joanne Trotter, who settled in Virginia in 1653
Joane Trotter, who landed in Virginia in 1653 3
Ann Trotter, who arrived in Virginia in 1666 3
Elizabeth Trotter, who landed in Maryland in 1675 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Trotter Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Trotter, who settled in New Hampshire in 1718

Trotter Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Trotter, aged 60, who landed in Massachusetts in 1812 3
Thomas Trotter, aged 41, who landed in New York in 1812 3
Jonathan Trotter, who landed in New York in 1825 3
James Trotter, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1836 3
Robert Trotter, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1866 3

Trotter migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Trotter Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Moses Trotter who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Tamarac" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle on 5th July 1847 4
Mr. Henry Trotter, aged 7 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing 3rd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th August 1847 but he died on board 5
Miss. Mary Trotter, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Ajax" departing 16th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 23rd June 1847 but she died on board 5
Mrs. Mary Trotter, aged 40 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Bridgetown" departing 3rd July 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 29th August 1847 but she died on board 5
Miss. Melinda Trotter who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Ajax" departing 16th April 1847 from Liverpool, England; the ship arrived on 23rd June 1847 but she died on board 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Trotter migration to Australia +

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

Trotter Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Thomas Trotter, English convict from Northumberland, who was transported aboard the "America" on April 4, 1829, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
William J. Trotter, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Rajasthan" in 1838 7
Ann Trotter, aged 22, a domestic servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Bucephalus"
Harvey Trotter, aged 20, who arrived in South Australia in 1857 aboard the ship "Monsoon"
James Trotter, aged 30, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Bee"

Trotter 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:

Trotter Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Peter Trotter, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
William Trotter, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843 aboard the ship Ursula
Mr. Patrick Trotter, British settler travelling from Plymouth aboard the ship "Lord William Bentinck" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 11th December 1851 8
Mr. J. Trotter, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "True Briton" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 5th February 1853 9
William Trotter, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Andrew Jackson" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Trotter 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

Trotter Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

George Trotter and his wife, Mar, who settled in Barbados in 1684

Contemporary Notables of the name Trotter (post 1700) +

William Monroe Trotter, American newspaper editor and protest leader
Jeremiah Trotter (b. 1977), American NFL football player who played from 1998 to 2001
DeeDee Trotter (b. 1982), American five-time gold medalist track and field athlete
Mildred Trotter (1899-1991), American forensic anthropologist, eponym of the Mildred Trotter Prize
Donne Trotter (b. 1950), American politician, Member of the Illinois Senate (1993-)
Obadiah Nelson "Obie" Trotter (b. 1984), American professional basketball player
William R Trotter, American writer
Alexander E. "Alex" Trotter, English footballer who played from 1920 to 1928
Liam Antony Trotter (b. 1988), English professional football midfielder
Neville Trotter, English Member of Parliament
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Trotter family +

HMS Hood

Mr. Ralph W Trotter (b. 1899), English Petty Officer Telegraphist serving for the Royal Navy from Hinckley, Leicestershire, England, who sailed into battle and died in the HMS Hood sinking 11

USS Indianapolis

Arthur Cecil Trotter, American crew member on board the ship "USS Indianapolis" when she was on a top secret trip for the first nuclear weapon, she was sunk by Japanese Navy on 30th July 1945, he was one of the many who were killed in the sinking due to exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacks 12

The Trotter 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: Fortis non ferox
Motto Translation: Brave, not ferocious.

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 58)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 97)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 26) America voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1829 with 176 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/america/1829
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RAJASTHAN 1838. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1838Rajasthan.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
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
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
Final Crew List, retrieved 2021, October 30th Retrieved from https://www.ussindianapolis.com/final-crew