Show ContentsThone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

While many of Irish names are quite familiar to most, their original Gaelic forms are often forgotten and mysterious. The original Gaelic form of the name Thone is Ó Tuama.

Early Origins of the Thone family

The surname Thone was first found in County Cork (Irish: Corcaigh) the ancient Kingdom of Deis Muin (Desmond), located on the southwest coast of Ireland in the province of Munster, where they held a family seat from very ancient times. This ancient family name was descended from Tuaim Snama, an eighth century King of Osraigi, and were presumably of Dalcassian origin. They were descended through Mathghamhain, the brother of Brian Boru. Although this tribe of Toomey held a family seat in Cork in the 14th century, they are believed to be descended from the Dal Cais to the north.

Early History of the Thone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thone research. Another 161 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1478, 1603, 1640, 1653, 1659, 1676, 1702, 1706 and 1730 are included under the topic Early Thone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thone Spelling Variations

Pronunciation, rather than spelling, was what guided scribes and church officials in recording names, a practice that often led to the misleading result of one person's name being recorded under several different spellings. Numerous spelling variations of the surname Thone are preserved in documents that were examined for evidence of the family's history. The various spellings of Thone included Toomie, O'Toomie, Twomey, O'Twomey, Twomy, O'Twomy, Twony, Toomey, O'Toomey, Toomy, O'Toomy, Twomie, O'Twomie, Twome, O'Twome, Toomee, O'Toomee, Tome, O'Tome, Thomey, O'Thomey, Thoume, O'Thoume, Thomey, O'Thomey, Tumey, O'Tumey, Tumee and many more.

Early Notables of the Thone family

More information is included under the topic Early Thone Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Thone migration to the United States +

Often leaving from racial discrimination and colonial oppression, thousands of families left Ireland in the 19th century for North America aboard passenger ships. Many early immigrants found a plot of land to call their own, something unimaginable for most Irish families. Those that arrived later were often accommodated as laborers since there was a large demand for cheap labor. This was the fate for many of the families that arrived in North America during the Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Whether they became agrarian settlers or industrial workers, the Irish that came to North America were invaluable for rapid development of the infant nations of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Irish name Thone or a variant listed above:

Thone Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Rosamund Thone, who landed in New England in 1716 1
  • William Thone, who arrived in New England in 1736 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Thone (post 1700) +

  • Charles Thone (1924-2018), American Republican politician, 34th Governor of Nebraska (1979-1983), Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Nebraska (1971-1979)


The Thone 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: Fortis undis et armis
Motto Translation: Waves and strong arms


  1. 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)


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