Sutherington

This is a very unusual English surname. Recorded as Sutherington, Suttherington, Sutterington, and probably others, it is presumably locational and originates from a place with a similar spelling, except that no such place quite like it is to be found in any of the known gazetters of the past three centuries. The only two that seem to bear any possible relationship, are the villages of Sutterton, both in Lincolnshire. The make up of the surname, and it has only changed in detail since the time of Charles 11nd (1649 - 1685), suggests that like Sutterton it means the 'South Farm', from the pre 7th century Olde English 'suo-tun'. The only difference is the element '-ing' meaning the 'people of', which in ancient times would have referred to a specific tribe that lived at the South Farm. Locational surnames are usually 'from' names. That is to say names given to people after they left their original homes to move somewhere else. This may be the next village or more likely it was far away in London, then as now the mecca for people seeking to make their fortune. In this case the surname is not recorded in Lincolnshire unless it be as Sutton, Suttin and Sutting. Examples of the recordings are all in Leicester and all from Melton Mowbray, which seems to be the epi-centre of the surname. These include William Suttherington, a witness at the christening of his son William, at Melton Mowbray, on October 1st 1676, and Hugh Sutterington, the son of Richard, christened at Melton Mowbray on August 4th 1751.