WELLINGTON Family History

This very famous surname is English locational and derives from one of the towns called Wellington, of which examples can be found in the counties of Somerset, Hereford and Shropshire. The origin is from the Olde English pre 7th century 'Weolintun' recorded in the Anglo-Saxon Chronicles for the year 904, and refering to the Somerset town. In fact all three places are recorded in the 1086 Domesday Book, and in each case the meaning is the same. This is 'the people (ingas) living in hamlet (tun) in the cleared area (leah) by the temple (Weo)', although it is possible that the prefix 'Weol' is a personal tribal name.