Granthan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The name Granthan is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from when a family lived in Grantham, a town located in the county of Lincolnshire. The name was derived from the Old English word grand which may have been derived from the personal name Granta and the Old English word ham meaning "homestead" 1

Early Origins of the Granthan family

The surname Granthan was first found in Lincolnshire at Grantham, a market town within the South Kesteven district, which was first listed in the Domesday Book as Grantham. 2 3

The place name probably meant "homestead or village of a man called Granta" derived from the Old English personal name + ham. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the Old English word "grand" meaning "gravel" + ham. 4

One of the first records of the family was Thomas de Grantham who was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Hertfordshire in 1220. 5

Early History of the Granthan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Granthan research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1328, 1544, 1573, 1589, 1604, 1612, 1629, 1630, 1634, 1640, 1641, 1655, 1692 and 1718 are included under the topic Early Granthan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Granthan 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 Granthan family name include Grantham, Grantam, Grantem, Grantum, Granthem and others.

Early Notables of the Granthan family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Thomas Grantham (1573-1630), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons from 1604 to 1629, matriculated at Christ Church, Oxford (1589); and his son, Thomas Grantham (1612-1655), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Lincoln for 1640, fought on the Parliamentary side in the English Civil War; and Sir Thomas Grantham (1641-1718), an English tobacco trader and naval officer, Commander of...
Another 71 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Granthan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Granthan family

For political, religious, and economic reasons, thousands of English families boarded ships for Ireland, the Canadas, 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 Granthan surname or a spelling variation of the name include : John Grantham arrived in Pennsylvania in 1772; another John settled in New England in 1778; Peter Grantham settled in New York in 1807; James Grantham arrived in Philadelphia in 1851.

The Granthan 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: Honore et amore
Motto Translation: With honour and love.

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)