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![Show Contents]() Sonny Surname History
Early Origins of the Sonny familyThe surname Sonny was first found in Cheshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the village and lands of Stanney, held by Restald from Earl Hugh, a Norman Baron. who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. Early History of the Sonny familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sonny research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1289, 1435, 1504, 1584 and 1595 are included under the topic Early Sonny History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Sonny Spelling VariationsSpelling variations of this family name include: Stoney, Staney, Stanney, Sonney, Stonny, Stanny and many more. Early Notables of the Sonny familyOutstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby, KG (1435-1504) was titular King of Mann, an English nobleman and stepfather to...
Another 26 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sonny Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.  Migration of the Sonny family to Ireland
Some of the Sonny family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Sonny familySome of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..
| Contemporary Notables of the name Sonny (post 1700) | + |
- Joseph Sonny West (1937-2022), American songwriter and musician, best known as the co-writer of two of Buddy Holly's biggest hits: "Oh, Boy!" and "Rave On"
- Sonny Strait (b. 1965), American voice actor, director, and writer at Funimation
- Sonny Gordon (1965-2023), American NFL and CFL football defensive back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1987, Hamilton Tiger-Cats from 1989 to 1990 and Saskatchewan Roughriders in 1991
- Sonny Turner (1938-2022), American singer from Fairmont, West Virginia, best known for replacing Tony Williams as lead singer of The Platters
- Sonny Osborne (1937-2021), American bluegrass musician and banjo player, one half of the Osborne Brothers musical duo, with his brother Bobby Osborne
- Sonny Allen (1936-2020), American college head coach at Old Dominion University from 1965 to 1975;
- Sonny Fox (1946-2020), American DJ who hosted the uncensored comedy channel on XM Radio, now Sirius XM, until his death in 2020
- Sonny Knowles (1932-2018), one of Ireland's most famous singers for six decades
- Sonny Geraci (1947-2017), American musician and singer
- Sonny Landham (1941-2017), American film actor and stunt man, best known for his role as tracker Billy Sole in Predator
- Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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England
Ireland
