Anne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins and Etymology of Anne

The surname Anne was first found in Yorkshire where "the pedigree begins with Sir William de Anne, Constable of the Castle of Tickhill in the time of Edward II." 1 Hunter states about this family: "it is a single instance of the male line being maintained in its ancient port and rank out of all gentry of the Deanery of Doncaster, summoned to appear before the Heralds in 1584."

The Hanney (Hanny) variant likely arose from East or West Hanney, the latter a parish in the union of Wantage, partly in the hundred of Ock, but chiefly in that of Wantage, Berkshire. Both are ancient Saxon villages dating back to 956 when they were collectively known as Hannige. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086, they were known as Hannei, meaning "island, or land between streams, frequented by cocks (of wild birds)" from the Old English word "hana" + "eg." 2

"The church [of West Hanney] is principally of Norman architecture, and contains a monument to Mrs. Elizabeth Bowles, who died at the advanced age of 124 years; likewise several memorials of Knights Templars." 3

Thomas Hanney or De Hanneye (fl. 1313), is the author of a treatise, 'De quatuor partibus Grammaticæ,' known as the 'Memoriale Iuniorum,' which is extant in two manuscripts in the Bodleian Library. "There appears to be no evidence that the writer was an Englishman, but if he was he may be assumed to have taken his name from Hanney in Berkshire, not far from Wantage, which place is spelled Hanneye in a roll of 8 Edward II." 4

Early History of the Anne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Anne research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1307, 1394, 1415, 1420, 1455, 1487, 1490, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Anne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Anne 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 Anne include Anne, Any, Ann, Anny, Annie, Hanne, Hanny, Hanney and others.

Early Notables of the Anne family

the Anne family of Yorkshire

Anne Ranking

France, the name Anne is the 1,045^th most popular surname with an estimated 5,122 people with that name. 5 However, in New Zealand, the name Anne is ranked the 588^th most popular surname with an estimated 1,219 people with that name. 6

Anne migration to the United States +

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 Anne or a variant listed above:

Anne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Christian Anne who arrived in Virginia in 1658

Anne Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Anne, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1744 7

Anne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Henry Anne, who arrived in Arkansas in 1884 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Anne (post 1700) +

Laura Anne Ingraham (b. 1964), American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator on Fox News
Linda Anne Hutchison (b. 1945), British singing teacher and vocal health expert, best known for her performances of leading soprano roles in the Gilbert and Sullivan operas with the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company
Lori Anne Loughlin (b. 1964), American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Rebecca Donaldson Katsopolis on the ABC sitcom Full House (1988-1995) and for her roles of Jody Travis in The Edge of Night (1980–1983), Debbie Wilson in the series 90210 (2008–2012) and her role as Jennifer Shannon in the Garage Sale Mystery television film series (2013–2018)
Mikayla Anne Raines (1996-2025), American wildlife rescuer, YouTuber, and founder of SaveAFox Rescue
Joyce Anne Anelay DBE PC FRSA (b. 1947), Baroness Anelay of St Johns, a British Conservative Party politician, Chair of the International Relations and Defence Committee (2019-2023), Minister of State for Exiting the European Union (2017)
Morna Anne Murray CC, ONS (b. 1945), Canadian retired four-time Grammy Award winning singer, and recipient of 24 Juno Awards and a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2025 Junos
Elizabeth Anne Carriere OBE, British civil servant working in international development
Monique Anne LeBlanc, Canadian politician for New Brunswick
Katherine Anne Squibb (1949-2018), American toxicologist who specialized in metal toxicity, a faculty member at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Sources +

Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
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)