Meaning and Origin of the Name Gladstone

It is a name tracing its roots from Biggar, which is a place in Lanarkshire. The meaning of Gladstone is a name from Old English made up of two words “gleoda” which means kite, and “stan” which means, stone. In addition an American version of this name does exist as, Glatshteyn. This version of the name is a take-off of two Yiddish words “glat”, meaning flat, and “shteyn”, meaning stone.

The popularity of Gladstone

Two men with the name Gladstone that have brought honour and stone-like dedication to the name are Sir John Gladstone, first Baronet, and Sir William Gladstone, seventh Baronet.

Sir John Gladstone was a Member of Parliament from 1818 to 1827. In addition, he was a plantation owner before 1833, however, following the United Kingdom’s outlawing slavery Sir Gladstone found himself expelling over 2500 slaves. However, for the losses endured he was able to invoice the Slavery Commission for a mere 106,769 pounds (83 million pounds today’s value); this was the largest payout.

The name Gladstone is surely a name that shows leadership, and such is the case of Sir William Gladstone, 7th Baronet. Sir William Gladstone who saw action in the Royal Navy in World War II and by war’s end achieved the rank of Lieutenant. Sir William Gladstone would become seventh Baronet in 1968 (up on his father’s death), continued to teach until retirement in 1969. Sir William would be eventually knighted in 1999, and in doing so, increasing the popularity of Gladstone name.

Useful Resources

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