Contents [hide]

Gunning History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Gunning History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The origins of the name Gunning are with the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. The name is derived from Gunwyn deriving its origin from the Old English gundwein, which meant "battle friend" or in some cases, as a baptismal name as in "the son of Gunwyn." 1

Early Origins of the Gunning family

The surname Gunning was first found in Suffolk where "in Corton (Suffolk) in the reign of John, Gundewyn' de Nethergate held land which was held in 1275 by Gerald Gunwine or Gundwyne by heredity." 2

Gundewinus cortinarius was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Surrey in 1130. From this early Latin entry, Thomas Gundewin was found in the Close Rolls of 1228 and William Gundewyne was later listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 2

The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 had only one listing, Willelmus Gunwyn as holding lands there at that time. 1

Early History of the Gunning family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gunning research. Another 60 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1614, 1615, 1661, 1670, 1674, 1675, 1684, 1731, 1816 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Gunning History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunning Spelling Variations

The first dictionaries that appeared in the last few hundred years did much to standardize the English language. Before that time, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. The language was changing, incorporating pieces of other languages, and the spelling of names changed with it. Gunning has been spelled many different ways, including Gunning, Guning and others.

Early Notables of the Gunning family

Notables of the family at this time include

Peter Gunning (1614-1684), an English Royalist church leader, Bishop of Chichester (1670-1675) and Ely (1675-1684), Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge (1661.) He was son of Peter Gunning (d...

Gunning Ranking

In the United States, the name Gunning is the 12,046^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Gunning family to Ireland

Some of the Gunning family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gunning migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families in this era began to emigrate the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. Although the passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe, those who made the voyage safely were rewarded with opportunities unavailable to them in their homeland. Research into passenger and immigration lists has revealed some of the very first Gunnings to arrive in North America:

Gunning Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Barth Gunning, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 4
John Gunning, who settled in Salem Massachusetts in 1799

Gunning Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert R Gunning, who landed in America in 1802 4
David Gunning, aged 60, who landed in Tennessee in 1812 4
William Gunning, who arrived in America in 1818 4
Robert Gunning, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1822
William Peter Gunning, aged 16, who landed in New York in 1831 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunning migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Gunning Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Thomas Gunning, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1834
Mrs. Catherine Gunning, aged 38 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Thompson" departing 5th May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 14th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Miss. Eleanor Gunning, aged 3 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Thompson" departing 5th May 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 14th June 1847 but she died on board 5
Mrs. Rose Gunning, aged 60 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Wilhelmina" departing 8th May 1847 from Belfast, Ireland; the ship arrived on 20th June 1847 but she died on board 5

Gunning migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Gunning Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Gunning, (b. 1808), aged 20, English cabinet maker who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Bengal Merchant" on 13th March 1828, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1885 6
Mr. Bryan Gunning, (b. 1807), aged 33, Cornish labourer travelling aboard the ship "Anne Gales" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 12th July 1840 7
Mrs. Mary Gunning, (b. 1811), aged 29, Cornish house servant travelling aboard the ship "Anne Gales" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 12th July 1840 7
Mr. John Gunning, (b. 1832), aged 8, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Anne Gales" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 12th July 1840 7
Mr. Charles Gunning, (b. 1837), aged 3, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Anne Gales" arriving in New South Wales, Australia on 12th July 1840 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Gunning migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Gunning Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Gunning, British settler arriving as the 1st detachment of Royal New Zealand Fencible Corps travelling from Tilbury, Essex aboard the ship "Ramillies" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 6th August 1847 8

Gunning migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Gunning Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

John Gunning, who settled in Barbados in 1680 with his servants

Gunning Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Francis Gunning, who landed in Jamaica in 1720 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Gunning (post 1700) +

Ashleigh Gunning (b. 1985), American retired soccer forward
Sarah Ogan Gunning (1910-1983), American folk singer, of the singing Gunning clan
Thomas P. Gunning (1882-1943), American Republican politician, Dentist; Member of Illinois State Senate 37th District, 1931-43 10
Rosemary R. Gunning (1905-1997), American politician, Member of New York State Assembly, 1969-75 10
Ronald Gunning, American politician, Mayor of Dayton, Kentucky, 2000-02; Appointed 2000 10
Patrick K. Gunning, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 2008 10
Michael Gunning, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1988 10
Christopher Gunning (1944-2023), English composer of concert works and music for films and television, born in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire
Sir Charles Vere Gunning (b. 1859), 7th Baronet of Eltham in the County of Kent, English peer
Elizabeth Gunning (1769-1823), English translator and a novelist
... (Another 14 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Gunning Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Imperio regit unus aequo
Motto Translation: One governs with just sway.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 78)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 7th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bengal-merchant
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, May 30). Ships' Passenger Lists of Arrivals in New South Wales on (1828 - 1842, 1848 - 1849) [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_nsw_1838_on.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 1) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html