Tone History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Throughout history, very few Irish surnames have exclusively maintained their original forms. Before being translated into English, Tone appeared as Ó Tomhrair. The surname Tone is derived from the Norse forename Tomar, which was the name of a Scandinavian king of Dublin during the 10th century. Nevertheless, the Tone family is distinctly Gaelic. It was common practice for Irish men who married women of Norse stock to baptize their children by a Norse name.

Early Origins of the Tone family

The surname Tone was first found in Derry, where they were anciently descended from the Cenel Eoghain (the Clann Owen) which had held lands in Tyrone and Derry for over a thousand years.

Early History of the Tone family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tone research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tone History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tone Spelling Variations

The recording of names in Ireland during the Middle Ages was an inconsistent endeavor at best. Since the general population did not know how to read or write, they could only specify how their names should be recorded orally. Research into the name Tone revealed spelling variations, including Toner,Tonry and others.

Early Notables of the Tone family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

Toner of Armagh and Derry

Tone Ranking

In the United States, the name Tone is the 17,109^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Tone migration to the United States +

Death and immigration greatly reduced Ireland's population in the 19th century. For the native Irish people poverty, hunger, and racial prejudice was common. Therefore, thousands left their homeland to seek opportunity in North America. Those who survived the journey and the quarantine camps to which they arrived, were instrumental towards building the strong developing nations of the United States and the future Canada. By far, the largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine during the late 1840s. These were employed as construction or factory workers. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Tone:

Tone Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Tone who settled in Virginia in 1649

Tone Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Chattom Tone, who arrived in Virginia in 1718 2

Tone Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Robert Tone, who landed in New York, NY in 1816 2
William Theobald Wolfe Tone, who arrived in New York in 1817 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Tone (post 1700) +

Franchot Tone (1905-1968), born Stanislaus Pascal Franchot Tone, an American stage, film, and television actor, perhaps best known for his role as Midshipman Roger Byam in Mutiny on the Bounty (1935)
Theobold Wolfe Tone (1763-1798), Irish nationalist, a leading Irish revolutionary figure and one of the founding members of the United Irishmen
Tone Vigeland (1938-2024), Norwegian goldsmith/silversmith and jewellery designer
Tone Haugen (b. 1964), former Norwegian footballer, world champion and Olympic medalist

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)