Topics

• About the Weatherstone One-Name Study
• Variants
• Origin of the surname
• Historical occurrences
• Frequency of the name
• Distribution of the name
• Data
• Contact Details

About the Weatherstone One-Name Study

Knowing virtually nothing about my Weatherstone ancestors at the outset of my research, I very quickly established that there was little or no reference to the name in any of the recognised Surname books, or in the public domain generally.

As I researched my own family line, it became apparent that the name was quite localised, at which point I began to consider the possibilty of undertaking a one-name study. At the time of joining the Guild - Sep 06 - my information was primarily limited to England & Scotland but this has expanded as my research continues, hopefully with input from those of you Weatherstones still out there.

Jan 07: Input received from British Columbia, Canada and Tasmania, so a big thank you to those individuals.

July 07: Contact from Australia, identifying a Weatherstone emmigration from North Shields in 1913.

2009: Evidence of the name found in China with 2 births in the 1870s.

Variants

I have registered 5 variations although the most common occurrences are Weatherston & Weatherstone.

The others are Weatherson, Wetherston & Wetherstone.

Origin of the surname

Although my own line is situated in Northumberland, England, I believe the origin of the name to be in the 'Borders' region and possibly Berwickshire, Scotland.

The earliest recorded entry I have found is for a marriage in 1604 in Newcastle

Historical occurrences

Famous or historical occurrences:

Sir Dennis Weatherstone 1931-2008 Chief Executive of JP Morgan 1990-1994 and a Board Member of the New York Stock Exchange

Frequency of the name

In the 1881 census, there were 630 occurrences across the 5 name variants, of which 488 were Weatherston/e. By far the greatest number were living in Northumberland but the highest concentration per 100,000 people was in Berwickshire. A comprehensive breakdown 1841-1901 is available on request.

Distribution of the name

So far, overseas sightings of the name include USA, Canada, Australia & New Zealand, South Africa & China.

In 1881 the representation in the 'Borders' region of the UK can be found in Berwick, Roxborough, Peebles, Selkirk & Dumfries.

Further afield, Durham & Midlothian are worth mentioning as is the natural migration to London.

Data

All recordings of the name in the English, Welsh & Scottish Census for the following years:- 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871 & 1881. 1891 onwards still being compiled.

English Birth data from BMD from 1837 -1881. Marriages & death data analysis under construction

IGI Birth data for Northumberland, Berwickshire & Roxburghshire

Contact details

For further information, contact:

Mr David Bates
E-mail:

This page last updated 15 June 2009.

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Profiles of other one-name studies registered with the Guild may be found here.