Does anyone know the origin of the surname Skelton?

Question

I have been searching for the origin of my surname for years, without luck.

Does anyone have any ideas, as i believe surnames origionally were given to you depending on your occupation

Or am i wrong about that

If anyone has the answer for me I would be grateful

Answer 1

The surname  Skelton would have come from a place-name; Unfortunately I do not have an English atlas here right now to say where.  Is it Yorkshire?

According to my research the family who hold this name would have been descended from the original person to hold land in or own this village/farm back in the Middle Ages.  Unless any people have adopted the surname then all the people who today have this surname would I  believe be closely related and probably from the same common ancestor.  The place itself will likely be an Anglo-Saxon name.  It is not always possible to guess as place-names were written down wrongly or changed over the centuries.

Best Wishes. JMB

Answer 2

This link may help.

http://www.searchforancestors.com/surnam...

Surnames not only relate to what your occupation was but also where you lived.

Answer 3

Surname: Skelton

This interesting surname is a Northern English locational surname, recorded in the spellings of Skelton and Skilton. It is derived from the names of villages situated in Cumberland and Yorkshire. The village and subsequent surname translates from the pre 7th Century Old English "scylf" meaning a shelf or dry area of land probably originally surrounded by water meadows or fens, and "tun", an enclosure or settlement. The village names are first recorded in the 11th century when "Scilton" occurs in the 1086 Domesday Book for Yorkshire Later the rolls known as the "Yorkshire charters" of 1160 give the place name as "Sheltone", not far from its modern form. As a surname "Skelton" had emerged by the middle of the 12th Century (see below). Other early recordings include Willelmus de Skelton in the Poll Tax rolls of Yorkshire in 1379, whilst John Skelton is recorded in the rolls known as the "Feet of fines" for the county of Essex in 1410. The surname has produced a number of prominent nameholders. These include John Skelton (1460 - 1529), poet and naturalist of Norfolk, and Sir John Skelton (1831 - 1897), who wrote under the pseudonym of "Shirley". The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Hamo de Skelton, which was dated 1160, in the Early Yorkshire Charter Lists, during the reign of King Henry 11, known as "The Builder of Churches", 1154 - 1189.

Answer 4

Hi There's a village just outside York called Skelton.You can Yahoo or Google it or get in touch with the library in York for more info

Answer 5

This is what www.ancestry.com has to say about the name.

Skelton Name Meaning and History

Northern English: habitational name from places in Cumbria and Yorkshire, originally named with the same elements as Shelton, but with a later change of ‘s’ to ‘sk’ under Scandinavian influence. The surname has also been established in Ireland for four or five centuries.

Hope this helps.

Answer 6

Try the website www.britishsurnames.co.uk, most surnames can be found on there.