Strange History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms 

Origins Available: 
  England 
  Ireland 


The surname Strange is derived from a nickname in the Old French. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demi-gods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends that portrayed animals behaving as humans. The Old French nickname Strange, meant "stranger." Nicknames come from the category of surnames known as hereditary surnames. They were adopted from a variety of sources including, physical characteristics, behaviour, mannerisms, and other personal attributes. Strange would have been given to someone who was new in the village or parish. In the Middle Ages, the vast majority of people never traveled any more than thirty miles or so from the place of their birth. Travel and emigration was reserved for the nobility, by and large. The surname Strange was derived from the Old French word estrange, which meant foreign. This is a name associated with the Bretons, a culture from the peninsula of Brittany, in the northwest of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coast and is broken by hills in the west. However, the region was renamed Britannia Minor by the Romans, following the emigration of six thousand Britons across the English Channel, an event which took place at the behest of the Roman Commander in Britain.

Early Origins of the Strange family

The surname Strange was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Pevell's Castle in the peak of Derbyshire. Guido le Strange, son of the Duke of Brittany was present at a joust with Owen, Prince of Wales and the Scottish Prince. Guido le Strange was ancestor of the various baronial houses of L'Strange and Strange. "The church [in Wellesbourn-Hastings in Warwickshire] is partly Norman, and partly in the early English style, with a tower of later character, and contains a monument to the memory of Sir Thomas le Strange, lord-lieutenant of Ireland in the reign of Henry VI." 1

Roger Le Strange (died 1311), was an early English jurist, "a descendant of Guy Le Strange, who is thought to have been a younger son of Hoel II, Duke of Brittany (1066-1084). He was sheriff of Yorkshire during the last two years of the reign of Henry III, and the first two of that of Edward I. " 2

Early History of the Strange family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Strange research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1255, 1267, 1296, 1305, 1320, 1324, 1332, 1349, 1353, 1361, 1375, 1547, 1584, 1588, 1611, 1631, 1646, 1654, 1682, 1696, 1754 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Strange History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strange Spelling Variations

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Strange, Strang and others.

Early Notables of the Strange family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Strange Ranking

In the United States, the name Strange is the 2,095th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Strange family to Ireland

Some of the Strange family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Strange migration to the United States +

Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Strange family to immigrate North America:

Strange Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
Strange Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
Strange Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Strange migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Strange Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
Strange Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Strange migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Strange Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Strange migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Strange Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Contemporary Notables of the name Strange (post 1700) +
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