Strean History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The proud Norman name of Strean was developed in England soon after Norman Conquest of England in 1066. It was name for a strong or courageous person. Checking further we found the name was derived from the German word streng, of the same meaning. It evolved to be an occupational name for "one who made strings for bows." 1 2

"In war if a string break, the man is lost and is no man, and his weapon is gone, and although he have two strings put on at once, yet he shah have small leisure and less room to bend his bow, therefore, God send us good stringers both for war and peace." 3

Early Origins of the Strean family

The surname Strean was first found in Nottinghamshire where they held a family seat from early times, where they were Lords of the manor of Eaton, and were conjecturally descended from Fulk, who held the lands of Eaton from Roger de Bully at the time of the taking of the Domesday Book in 1086. 4 The lands, at that time, consisted of two mills and a garden. Eaton is the celebrated site of the Battle of the Idle in 617 between Redwald and Ethelfrith of Northumbria.

The name grew to become a "common Yorkshire name" 5 which we will explore shortly. First we will search through early rolls: Walter Stringere was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls for Wiltshire in 1194; and Roger le Strenger in Yorkshire rolls in 1293. 5

Early Somerset records show Godwynn Strenger, Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6 The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 include: Willelmus Strynger; Johannes Strenger; and Ricardus Stryngar as all holding lands there at that time. 7 In Scotland, it was a rather rare name but we did find "Laurence Stringhar [who was] admitted burgess of Aberdeen, 1486." 8

Early History of the Strean family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Strean research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1574, 1575 and 1646 are included under the topic Early Strean History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strean Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence in the eras before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate regularly changed the spellings of their names as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Strean have been found, including Stringer, Stringar, Stringers and others.

Early Notables of the Strean family

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

Strean migration to the United States +

For many English families, the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. For such families, the shores of Ireland, Australia, and the New World beckoned. They left their homeland at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. Many arrived after the long voyage sick, starving, and without a penny. But even those were greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. Numerous English settlers who arrived in the United States and Canada at this time went on to make important contributions to the developing cultures of those countries. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Strean were among those contributors:

Strean Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Strean, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 9

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)