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The surname Danser is a ancient Norman name that arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. Some instances of the surname are thought to have evolved from Middle English, Old French word "dance," meaning "dance;" and was an occupational name for a dancer or acrobat. 1 Some of this surname are thought to have evolved from the place name Ancere, in Normandy. 2
The surname Danser was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 which included: Hervey le Dansur, Norfolk; and Ralph Danser, Gloucestershire. 1 Over in Somerset, William le Dauncer was listed 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of Edward III.) 3
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Danser research. Another 64 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1662, 1675, 1689, 1699, 1703, 1716, 1734, 1736, 1768, 1776, 1794, 1806, 1843, 1852, 1872 and 1933 are included under the topic Early Danser History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Dancer, Dansur, Danser, Dansar and others.
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Daniel Dancer (1716-1794), the English miser, born at Pinner in 1716. "His grandfather and father were both noted in their time as misers, and are only less known to fame because their accumulation of wealth was not so great. The elder Dancer died in 1736, and Daniel, as the eldest of his four children, succeeded to his estate, which consisted of eighty acres of rich meadow land and of an adjoining farm called Waldos. Hitherto Dancer had given no manifestation of his miserly instincts, but now, in company...
Another 95 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Danser Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Another 124 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Danser name or one of its variants: