Tennies Surname History

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The generations and branches of the Tennies family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Tennies comes from the baptismal name for the son of Dennis, which was originally derived from the Latin Dionysius. In the religious naming tradition surnames were bestowed in honor of religious figures or church officials. In Europe, the Christian Church was one of the most powerful influences on the formation of given names. Personal names derived from the names of saints, apostles, biblical figures, and missionaries are widespread in most European countries. In the Middle Ages, they became increasingly popular because people believed that the souls of the deceased continued to be involved in this world. They named their children after saints in the hope that the child would be blessed or protected by the saint.

Early Origins of the Tennies family

The surname Tennies was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.

Early History of the Tennies family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tennies research. Another 81 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1636, 1640, 1642, 1644, 1645, 1673, 1685, 1694, 1697, 1698, 1705, 1714, 1715, 1735, 1809 and 1892 are included under the topic Early Tennies History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tennies Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Tennies include Tennyson, Tenison, Tennison and others.

Early Notables of the Tennies family

Another 42 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tennies Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tennies family to Ireland

Some of the Tennies family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 152 words (11 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 Tennies family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Tennies or a variant listed above: John Tennison arrived in Philadelphia in 1850; John R. Tenison settled in Pennsylvania in 1850.