Show ContentsTannatt History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

This Brythonic Celtic surname comes from the personal name Danet. This name is formed through the addition of the diminutive prefix -et to Dan, which is a pet form of the personal name Daniel. The initial D of the name was often sharpened to T, giving rise to the surname Tannatt.

Early Origins of the Tannatt family

The surname Tannatt was first found in Shropshire, where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor of Abertanat. This Welsh English border family claim direct descent from the great Einion Efell, Lord of Cynllathe in Denbighland, North Wales. Abertanat was a territory in Powys Fadog which was previously ruled by Owen Brongyntyn. Today, Afon Tanat (River Tanat) is a river in northern Powys, Wales. The Tanat Valley Light Railway (TVLR) was a 15-mile (24 km) long standard gauge light railway connecting Llangynog with Blodwel in Wales that was opened in 1903 and closed in January 1964.

Early History of the Tannatt family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tannatt research. Another 101 words (7 lines of text) covering the year 1150 is included under the topic Early Tannatt History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tannatt Spelling Variations

Although there are comparatively few Welsh surnames, they have a great many spelling variations. Variations of Welsh names began almost immediately after their acceptance within Welsh society. In the Middle Ages, it was up to priests and the few other people that recorded names in official documents to decide how to spell the names that they heard. Variations that occurred because of improper recording increased dramatically as the names were later transliterated into English. The Brythonic Celtic language of Wales, known by natives as Cymraeg, featured many highly inflected sounds that could not be properly captured by the English language. Spelling variations were, however, also carried out according to an individual's design: a branch loyalty within the family, a religious adherence, or even patriotic affiliations were all indicated by the particular variation of one's name. The spelling variations of the name Tannatt have included Tanat, Tannat, Tanet, Tanett, Tanatt, Tannatt and many more.

Early Notables of the Tannatt family

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

Migration of the Tannatt family

Many Welsh joined the great migrations to North America in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Like their Scottish and Irish neighbors, many Welsh families left their homeland hoping to find hope and prosperity in a land that the English did not exercise a tight rule over. Those Welsh immigrants that successfully traveled to North America went on to make significant contributions to the rapid development of both Canada and the United States in terms of the settling of land and the establishment of industry. They also added to the rich cultural heritage of both countries. An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Tannatt: Robert Tanett who landed in North America in 1774.


Contemporary Notables of the name Tannatt (post 1700) +

  • Thomas Tannatt Pryce VC MC & Bar (1886-1918), Welsh recipient of the Victoria Cross


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