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

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Wiltshire History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Wiltshire

What does the name Wiltshire mean?

The Wiltshire name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived in Wiltshire, a county in southwestern England. The place-name was recorded as Wiltunscir in 870, and as Wiltescire in the Domesday Book, 1 compiled in 1086. The place-name means "shire centered on Wilton." Wilton is composed of the Old English elements wilig, which means willow tree, and tun, for farmstead or enclosure. The place-name Wilton means "farm where the willow trees grow." 2

Early Origins of the Wiltshire family

The surname Wiltshire was first found in Sussex where Hunfridus de Wilechier was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1157. The same rolls listed Hunfridus de Wilecher in 1162. In Wiltshire, Nicholas de Wiltesir was recorded in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1207 and later, Robert Wylchar was found in the Subsidy Rolls for Worcestershire in 1275. In Hampshire, John Wilteshire was listed in 1298 and in Kent, William Wylkeshire was listed in 1440. 3

Despite the fact that the "surname is derived from a geographical locality and is 'from Wiltshire,'" 4 the name was widespread by the 13th century. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included Michael de Wyltesire, Cambridgeshire; William de Wyltesyre, Somerset; Roger de Wilteschire, Salop (Shropshire). The Writs of Parliament includes an entry for Almaric de Wilteshire, 1313 but no county is given. 4

Early History of the Wiltshire family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Wiltshire research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1456, 1483, 1534, 1674, 1680, 1758, 1794 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Wiltshire History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire has undergone many spelling variations, including Wiltshire, Wiltshear, Wiltsheir and others.

Early Notables of the Wiltshire family

Distinguished members of the family include

Sir John Wiltshire of Stone Castle, Kent. His daughter Bridget Wiltshire (later, Wingfield, then Hervey, then Tyrwhitt

Wiltshire Ranking

In the United States, the name Wiltshire is the 10,688^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire were among those contributors:

Wiltshire Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Wiltshire, who arrived in Virginia in 1654
Mary Wiltshire, who landed in Maryland in 1680 6

Wiltshire Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Wiltshire, who settled in Maryland in 1775

Wiltshire migration to Australia +

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

Wiltshire Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Richard Wiltshire, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Frederick Wiltshire, (b. 1808), aged 25, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Jacob Wiltshire, English convict who was convicted in Southampton, Hampshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
Mr. Thomas Wiltshire, English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Emperor Alexander"on 6th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 10
Mr. Paul Wiltshire, British convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life, transported aboard the "Henry Tanner" on 27th June 1834, settling in New South Wales, Australia 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Wiltshire 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:

Wiltshire Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Christopher Wiltshire, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Union" in 1843
James Wiltshire, aged 37, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Seringapatam" in 1856
Mr. George Wiltshire, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Black Eagle" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 19th November 1861 12
George Wiltshire, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Black Eagle" in 1861 13
Charles Wiltshire, aged 18, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "La Hogue" in 1874
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Wiltshire (post 1700) +

John H. Wiltshire (b. 1883), American Democratic Party politician, Mason; Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bethlehem, 1915-16 14
Frank T. Wiltshire, American politician, Burgess of Media, Pennsylvania, 1960 14
Graham Wiltshire (1931-2017), English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire from 1953 to 1960
David "Dave" Wiltshire (b. 1954), English former professional association football player
Stephen Wiltshire MBE (b. 1974), English architectural artist
Maxwell Lloyd Wiltshire (1938-2021), Welsh international rugby union player who played as a lock forward for Aberavon RFC during the 1960s
Paul Wiltshire, Australian songwriter, record producer & mixer
Max Wiltshire, ex-Welsh International Rugby Player
Todd Wiltshire (b. 1968), Australian former motorcycle speedway rider
Edward Wiltshire, British Diplomat

Historic Events for the Wiltshire family +

HMS Royal Oak

Frederick W. Wiltshire, British Joiner with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he survived the sinking 15
Edward George Wiltshire (d. 1939), British Petty Officer Stoker with the Royal Navy aboard the HMS Royal Oak (1939) when she was torpedoed by U-47 and sunk; he died in the sinking 15

RMS Titanic

Mr. W. Wiltshire (d. 1912), aged 33, English Asst. Butcher from Southampton, Hampshire who worked aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
"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 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th April 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/emperor-alexander
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th January 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/henry-tanner
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
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.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
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html