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Irish surname

Stapleton: Irish Surname History & Coat of Arms

de Stábaltún · Norman 'de Stapeltoun', i.e. 'of Stapleton', a common English place-name

Stapleton is of Anglo-Norman origin: Woulfe (1923) explains it as 'de Stapeltoun', from Stapleton, a common English place-name. The family settled in Kilkenny and Tipperary soon after the Norman invasion and took the Irish surname Mac an Ghaill, 'son of the foreigner'; they were also called Galldubh, 'the black foreigner'.

Coat of arms associated with the Stapleton surname
Irish formde Stábaltún
MeaningNorman 'de Stapeltoun', i.e. 'of Stapleton', a common English place-name
CountiesTipperary, Kilkenny
Other spellings5

Origin of the Stapleton name

Woulfe: an old and distinguished Anglo-Norman family, named from Stapleton, a common English place-name, who settled soon after the invasion in Kilkenny and Tipperary. They assumed the Irish surname Mac an Ghaill ('son of the foreigner') and were also called Galldubh ('the black foreigner').[1][2][3]

  1. 1639Theobald Stapleton publishes an Irish-Latin catechism at Brussels.[4]
  2. c. 1747Dublin stuccadore and builder Michael Stapleton born.[5]
  3. 1778Michael Stapleton takes the oath under the Catholic Relief Act, becoming a builder-developer.[5]
  4. 1801Dublin stuccadore and builder Michael Stapleton dies.[5]

Where in Ireland

Co. TipperarySettled soon after the Norman invasion; the Tipperary Stapletons assumed the Irish name Mac an Ghaill.[1][2]
Co. KilkennySettled here soon after the Norman invasion.[1]

Notable people named Stapleton

Theobald Stapletonfl. 1639Priest; his 1639 Brussels catechism was the first book with Irish printed in Roman type.[4]
Michael Stapletonc.1747–1801Dublin stuccadore and builder; worked with the architects Thomas Penrose and James Wyatt.[5]

Other spellings

de Stapeltoun · de Stapulton · Stapelton · Mac an Ghaill (Irish surname assumed) · Galldubh (Irish designation)[1]

The Stapleton coat of arms

The design shown is a coat of arms associated with the Stapleton surname. In Irish and British heraldry a coat of arms is granted to one person and passes to their heirs; it does not belong to everyone who shares the surname. Many families still use the arms of their name as a symbol of their heritage.

Stapleton crest gifts

Stapleton surname: questions

Is Stapleton an Irish name?

It is Anglo-Norman in origin, from Stapleton, a common English place-name, but Woulfe records the family as settled in Kilkenny and Tipperary soon after the Norman invasion.[1]

What is Stapleton in Irish?

Woulfe gives de Stábaltún for the Norman name, and says the family assumed the Irish surname Mac an Ghaill ('son of the foreigner'); they were also called Galldubh ('the black foreigner').[1][2][3]

Where in Ireland are the Stapletons from?

Woulfe places the family in Kilkenny and Tipperary, and says Mac an Ghaill was the Irish name of the Stapletons of Co. Tipperary.[1][2]

Sources

  1. de Stábaltún — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/d/de-stabaltun.php
  2. Mac an Ghaill — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/maca/mac-an-ghaill.php
  3. Galldubh — Irish Names and Surnames (Rev. Patrick Woulfe, 1923), transcribed, LibraryIreland.com. libraryireland.com/names/g/galldubh.php
  4. Theobald Stapleton — The Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 14 (Edwin Burton, 1912), New Advent. newadvent.org/cathen/14249a.htm
  5. Stapleton, Michael — Dictionary of Irish Architects 1720–1940, Irish Architectural Archive (dia.ie). dia.ie/architects/search/MICHAEL%20STAPLETON