English: habitational name from either of the places called Washington, in Tyne and Wear and West Sussex. The latter is from Old English Wassingatūn ‘settlement (Old English tūn) of the people of Wassa’, a personal name that is probably a short form of some compound name such as Wāðsige, composed of the elements wāð ‘hunt’ + sige ‘victory’. Washington in Tyne and Wear is from Old English Wassingtūn ‘settlement associated with Wassa’.
FOREBEARS George Washington (1732–99), 1st president of the U.S. (1789–97), was born at Bridges Creek, VA. His greatgrandfather had settled in the colony after emigrating from England in 1658. With the passage of time, the surname has come to be borne by more African Americans than English Americans. A prominent example was the educator Booker T. Washington (1856–1915), born a slave in VA, who adopted his surname from his stepfather, Washington Ferguson.
