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The Constance family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the baptismal name which means Custance. Alternatively the name could have been a local name for someone from Coutance, a location name in Normandy. 1
The surname Constance was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 as both a forename and surname: Constance, or Custance de Byerne, Nottinghamshire; John Custaunce, Cambridgeshire; Henry filius Custance, Cambridgeshire; and Custance Burnard, Cambridgeshire.
Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 continued this tradition with: Custance de Bergh; and Adam Custanson. "The last two instances entered together are probably mother and son. " 2
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Constance research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1379, 1629, 1650, 1669, 1801, 1881 and 1904 are included under the topic Early Constance History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Constance include Custerson, Custer, Custance, Constance, Custeson and others.
Notables of the family at this time include Sir Roger Cuttance (fl. 1650-1669), an English Captain in the navy, a native of Weymouth, Dorset. 3
Hambleton Custance, was a Lieutenant-Colonel...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Constance Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In the United States, the name Constance is the 16,994th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4
Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Constance were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: