Charleston Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Charleston Origin:

England, Germany

Origins of Charleston:

It is not a geographical surname from any of the different regions called Charleston or Charlestown. It is much older surname and acquires from the particular name Charles and specifically, in the style of different nicknames such as Carlson, Charlson, Charlesson, Charleston, and Charlestone. Although observed as English, it has pre 5th-century Germanic sources from the name Karl or Carl. It converts as “man,” and after that in the early times was Latinized to Carolus and Charles. The particular name was brought into England by the Norman-French after the conquest of 1066, but never famous until the Stuart time in the 16th century. All the regions named are after this date, and also many centuries after the invention of surnames. In France, the name was famous from an old date due to the popularity of King Charlemagne, (Charles the Great), King of the Franks (742-814). In a few situations, the surname may be of the 8th century English origin, from the word “ceorl,” which means a farmer or worker. The particular name “Carolus” was first listed in the document known as the “Curia Rolls” of the division of Suffolk in the year 1208. According to the first surname recordings which contain Frethesant Cherl in the records of the division of Cambridgeshire, England, in 1221, while in Germany Rudolf Karle was listed as a Klosterdiener (monastery worker) in the records of the town of St Bastien, in the year 1275. One of the first travelers in the Virgina Colony of New England was Dorothie Charleson, who arrived thereon the ship “Transport of London” in 1635.

Variations:

More common variations are: Charlston, Charlestone, Charlestown, Chaerleston, Charlesaton, Sharleston, Charlestin, Charelston, Charliston, Charlseton.

England:

The surname Charleston first appeared in Suffolk where they held a family seat as Kings of the castle. The name Charleston itself comes originally from the Germanic name Carl, which was Latinized as ‘Carolus.’ Early forms of the name in Britain are after the Norman conquest, but some heritors of this name certainly come from Norman stock. The addition of component ‘son’ or ‘ston’ mentions a nickname created from the name of a father or male fellow. The Saxon effect on English history declined after the war of Hastings in 1066, but some Saxon surnames remained the same. The first register of an ancestor to this family name first introduced in the year 1208 when Carolus held lands in that division.

The very first recorded spelling of the family was shown to be that of Osbert Cherle, dated about the year 1193, in the “Pipe Rolls of the division of Warwickshire.” It was during the time of King Richard I, who was known to be the “The Lionheart,” dated 1189-1199. The origin of surnames during this period became a necessity with the introduction of personal taxation. It came to be known as Poll Tax in England. Surnames all over the country began to develop, with unique and shocking spelling varieties of the original one.

Ireland:

Many of the people with name Charleston had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Individuals with the surname Charleston settled in the United States in three different centuries respectively in the 17th, and 19th. Some of the people with the name Charleston who settled in the United States in the 17th century included Ann Charleston and Ann Charleston; both arrived in Maryland in the same year 1666.

The following century saw many more Charleston surnames come. Some of the people with the surname Charleston who settled in the United States in the 19th century included R. Charleston, recorded in Beaver County, Pennsylvania in 1851

Here is the population distribution of the last name Charleston: United States 3,476; Haiti 2,594; Australia 401; England 339; Mexico 314; Brazil 270; Philippines 258; Germany 134; South Africa 128; Scotland 92

Notable People:

David Morley Charleston was born in St Erth, Cornwall in May 1848 and died in June 1934. He was also an Australian leader.

Oscar McKinley Charleston (October 1896 – October 1954) was an American player and trainer in baseball’s Negro leagues from the year 1915 to 1945.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) Notes: (Barham, co. Sussex). Blazon: Ar. on a chev. vert three eagles displ. or.
2) Notes: None. Blazon: Ar. a chev. betw. three eagles displ. vert.