Payn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France

Of all the French names to come from Normandy, Payn is one of the most ancient. The name is a result of the original family having lived at Payen, in Normandy.

Early Origins of the Payn family

The surname Payn was first found in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where this distinguished family held a family seat at Payen, and were members of the noblesse of that region.

Early History of the Payn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Payn research. Another 71 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1510 is included under the topic Early Payn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Payn Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous spelling alterations depending on the region and time it was used. The early development of the French language relied heavily on borrowing elements and grammar from other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Payn is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Pain, Paine, Payn, Payne, Le Pain, De Pain, Lepain, Lepaine, Lepain, Painchaud, Painchault, Painchaux, Pinchaud, Paincuit, Paindavoine, Painlevé, Paintendre and many more.

Early Notables of the Payn family

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

Payn migration to the United States +

In the 1700s, land incentives were finally given out by France to 2,000 migrants. Early marriage was encouraged in New France, and youths of 18 took fourteen-year-old girls for their wives. The fur trade was developed and attracted migrants, both noble and commoner from France. 15,000 explorers left Montreal in the late 17th and 18th centuries, leaving French names scattered across the continent. The search for the Northwest passage continued. Migration from France to New France or Quebec, as it was now more popularly called, continued until 1759. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the Acadian presence in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island had reached 500. In the treaty of Utrecht, Acadia were ceded by France to Britain in 1713. In 1755, 10,000 French Acadians refused to take an oath of allegiance to England and were deported. They found refuge in Louisiana. Meanwhile, in Quebec, the French race flourished, founding in Lower Canada, one of the two great solitudes which became Canada. Many of this distinguished family name Payn were prominent in social, cultural, religious and political affairs in France and New France. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Payn were

Payn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Robert Payn, who landed in South Carolina in 1734 1

Payn migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Payn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Payn, English convict who was convicted in Warwick, Warwickshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 2

Payn migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Payn Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Payn, (b. 1842), aged 33, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 3
Mrs. Catherine Payn, (b. 1847), aged 28, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 3
Miss Eliza Payn, (b. 1865), aged 10, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 3
Mr. James W. Payn, (b. 1868), aged 7, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 3
Mr. George Payn, (b. 1870), aged 5, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Helen Denny" arriving in Hawkes Bay, Napier, North Island, New Zealand on 20th September 1875 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Payn (post 1700) +

Noah Payn, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Charlotte County, 1779-80 4
Louis Frisbie Payn (1835-1923), American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1892, 1900, 1904, 1908, 1912, 1916 4
Joseph R. Payn, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State Senate 32nd District, 1934 4
George Payn, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Saratoga County 2nd District, 1848 4

Citations +

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html