Compton Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Compton last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Compton last name
Meaning of the Compton last name: valley farmstead. The Compton surname comes from one of the many English places called Compton, from Old English cumb, "valley", and tun, "farmstead": a farm in a valley. Such places are common in the south and west, from Surrey to Somerset and Warwickshire. A curious detail of this surname origin: one Compton family built Compton Wynyates, a famous Tudor house, and the last name later spread to Maryland and Virginia.
Arms associated with the Compton name
In English heraldry a coat of arms belonged to one person at a time, so different Compton lines used their own versions, each set out in a blazon, the formal heraldic description.
Get your full Compton family history
This is only a glimpse of the Compton story. The full Compton history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Compton coat of arms. Get the full Compton report.
Compton name FAQ
What does the Compton name mean?
Valley farmstead. Common variants include Comton, Cumpton.
Where does the Compton surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Australia and Canada.
Is there a Compton coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Compton coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).