Show ContentsThanner History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Thanner finds its origins with the ancient Anglo-Saxons of England. It was given to one who worked as a person who worked as the local tanner. This occupational surname was originally derived from the work that the original bearer did. In this case the original bearer treated animal skins with tannin in order to prevent the skins from decomposing so that they could use the leather to produce various goods. Occupational names frequently were derived from the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames.

Early Origins of the Thanner family

The surname Thanner was first found in Devon, but we must look to Normandy to find the earliest record of the family. For it is there that Hugh de Tanur made grants to the Abbey of Culture, Normandy in 1082. 1 At that time, there was a variety of early spellings including Tannour, Le Tannur, Tannator and Le Tanur. 2

Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 would show the wide usage of the name and early variants throughout ancient Britain: Elfer Tannator, Sussex; John Tannarius, Oxfordshire; Philip le Tannour, Huntingdonshire; and Henry le Tanur, Nottinghamshire. 3

Early History of the Thanner family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thanner research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1630, 1657, 1658, 1674, 1682, 1735 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Thanner History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Thanner Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore, spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Thanner has been recorded under many different variations, including Tanner, Tannor and others.

Early Notables of the Thanner family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Thanner Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Thanner family to Ireland

Some of the Thanner family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Thanner migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Thanner or a variant listed above:

Thanner Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Anna Thanner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1742 4
  • Hans Jakob Thanner, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 4
  • Michel Thanner, who landed in Carolina in 1751 4
  • Hans Georg Thanner, who landed in Carolina in 1751 4


  1. The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. 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)


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