Show ContentsVannah History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Vannah family

The surname Vannah was first found in Essex where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. The Saxon influence of English history diminished after the Battle of Hastings in 1066. The language of the courts was French for the next three centuries and the Norman ambience prevailed. But Saxon surnames survived and the family name was first referenced in the year 1285 when William Fanner held lands.

Early History of the Vannah family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vannah research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1455 and 1487 are included under the topic Early Vannah History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vannah Spelling Variations

Sound was what guided spelling in the essentially pre-literate Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Also, before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Therefore, spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Vannah family name include Fanner, Vanner, Vannah, Vannar, Fannar and others.

Early Notables of the Vannah family

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


United States Vannah migration to the United States +

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, Canada, the America colonies, and many of smaller tropical colonies in the hope of finding better lives abroad. Although the passage on the cramped, dank ships caused many to arrive in the New World diseased and starving, those families that survived the trip often went on to make valuable contributions to those new societies to which they arrived. Early immigrants bearing the Vannah surname or a spelling variation of the name include:

Vannah Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • George Vannah, who landed in New England in 1753 1


  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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