Show ContentsMinnie History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Minnie family

The surname Minnie was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), where the first record of the family was the singular Minna, listed here in the Assize Rolls of 1202. Over one hundred years later, Gostelynus Mynne was found in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1327. [1]

"This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. 'the son of Min.' There is some evidence in favour of an old personal name Min, which was probably a nick. Minnie is still used as a girl's pet name for Emmeline. " [2]

Another researcher agrees: "This series seems to point to Minn, (the same as Mynn) as an ancient personal name." [3]

Early History of the Minnie family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Minnie research. Another 217 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1094, 1184, 1327, 1429, 1492, 1541, 1549, 1550, 1558, 1563, 1564, 1571, 1572, 1585, 1587, 1588, 1595, 1598, 1599, 1603, 1608, 1609, 1615, 1623, 1625, 1642, 1665, 1666, 1671, 1748, 1793 and 1817 are included under the topic Early Minnie History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minnie Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Minn, Minns, Mynn, Mynns, Myn, Min, Mynne, Menne, Minnes, Ming, Ming, Mink, Menn, Mence, Minne, Meny, Mynne, Meene, Mean and many more.

Early Notables of the Minnie family

Distinguished members of the family include Sir Christopher Myngs (1625-1666), English Admiral and pirate who came of a Norfolk family. It "is said by Pepys to have been of very humble origin, ‘his father being always, and at this day, a shoemaker, and his mother, a hoyman's daughter, of which he was used frequently to boast’ (Diary, 13 June 1666; cf. 26 Oct. 1665). This is certainly exaggerated, if not entirely false. His parents were of well-to-do families in the north of Norfolk. His father, John Myngs, though described in the register of Salthouse, where he was married on 28 Sept...
Another 315 words (22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Minnie Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Minnie Ranking

In South Africa, the name Minnie is the 963rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,067 people with that name. [4]


Canada Minnie migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Minnie Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Minnie, who was on record in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Minnie (post 1700) +

  • Ethel Minnie Lackie (1907-1979), American two-time Olympic gold medalist swimmer and the 1924 Summer Olympics
  • Sofia Minnie Ybarra, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 1988 [5]
  • Minnie Pearl (1912-1996), stage name of Sarah Ophelia Colley Cannon, an American country comedienne who appeared at the Grand Ole Opry for more than 50 years and on the television show Hee Haw from 1969 to 1991
  • Minnie Bruce Pratt (1946-2023), American poet, educator, activist, and essayist, Professor of Writing and Women's Studies at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York
  • Minnie Pallister (1885-1960), English political activist, political writer, self-described "Socialist propagandist" from Kilkhampton, Cornwall
  • Minnie Lansbury (1889-1922), née Glassman, English leading suffragette and an alderman on the first Labour-led council in the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar, England
  • Minnie J. Teichert, American politician, Socialist Labor Candidate for Presidential Elector for Pennsylvania, 1956
  • Minnie J. Mueller, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Arizona, 1944 [6]
  • Minnie Harrington, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Nebraska, 1924 [7]
  • Minnie J. Grinstead (1869-1925), American Republican politician, Member of Kansas State House of Representatives, 1919-24; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1920 (alternate), 1924; Seward County Probate Judge, 1925 [8]


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. "Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, July 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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