Show ContentsManington History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Manington family

The surname Manington was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Mannington. Cornwall was a land set apart, a land of mystique and quaint customs, more strongly related to Brittany and Wales than to England. It was not until the 10th century that they submitted to the Saxon rule of England. Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Early History of the Manington family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Manington research. Another 164 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1079, 1142, 1149, 1162, 1300, 1487, 1510 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Manington History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Manington Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Mannington, Manninton, Mennington, Menninton, Mannyngton and many more.

Early Notables of the Manington family

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


United States Manington migration to the United States +

In the immigration and passenger lists a number of early immigrants bearing the name Manington were found:

Manington Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Manington, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1699 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Manington (post 1700) +

  • Howard D. Manington, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 1904 2


  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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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