Thane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
A thane was (in like manner as the earl) not probably a title of dignity, but of service, so called in the Saxon of thenian (servire,) and in Latin minister, a ministrando. The Anglo-Saxon Thegn is equivalent to a servant or servitor. Three London traders bear this ancient and honourable name. 1
Early Origins of the Thane family
The surname Thane was first found in Banffshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Bhanbh), former Scottish county located in the northeasterly Grampian region of Scotland, now of divided between the Council Areas of Moray and Aberdeenshire, where they held a family seat from very ancient times, before and after the Norman Conquest in 1066.
One of the earliest records of the family was Philip de Thaun (fl. 1120), the Anglo-Norman writer who probably belonged to a Norman family of Thaun or Than, near Caen, but had come to England, perhaps with his uncle Hunfrei de Thaun. 2
Other early records of the family include: Duncan Thane of Streuelin (Stirling) who witnessed a charter by Gilbert, Earl of Strathem, a. 1198, Lome Theine de Ures who witnessed a charter by Randulf de Strathphetham, c. 1222, and William Theynus de Kintor who appears as charter witness in 1253. 3
Further south in England, we found Robertus filius Thein and Robert Tein listed in the Pipe Rolls for Norfolk in 1166, and William le Theyn in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1243. 4
The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: John le Theyn, Wiltshire; and Adam Theyn, Norfolk. The Excerpta e Rotulis Finium in Turri Londinensi included early London records. And it was there that we found Roger le Theyn and Nicholas le Then. 5
In Somerset, Cecilia la Theyn was listed there, 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 6
Early History of the Thane family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Thane research. Another 124 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1117, 1198, 1222, 1253, 1541, 1563, 1608, 1640, 1748, 1779, 1780, 1793 and 1818 are included under the topic Early Thane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Thane Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Thane, Thain, Thaine, Thayne, Theyne and others.
Early Notables of the Thane family
Notable amongst the Clan at this time was
- John Thane (1748-1818), English printseller and engraver who carried on business for many years in Soho, London, and became famous for his expert knowledge of pictures, coins, and every species of ver...
- John Fothergill's death in 1780 his fine collection of engraved portraits were sold to Thane, who cut up the volumes and disposed of the contents to the principal collectors of British portraits at th...
- Thane was the projector and editor of 'British Autography: a Collection of Facsimiles of the Handwriting of Royal and Illustrious Personages, with their Authentic Portraits,' London (1793 &c.), 3 vols...
Thane migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Thane Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- James Wallace Thane, who settled in New England in 1774
Contemporary Notables of the name Thane (post 1700) +
- John Thane (1748-1818), English printseller and engraver who carried on business for many years in Soho, London, and became famous for his expert knowledge of pictures, coins, and every species of vertu
- Cameron Thane Muncey (b. 1980), Australian guitarist and vocalist
- G. Thane Akins, American politician, Mayor of Midland, Texas, 1980-86 7
- Thane Camus (b. 1970), American expatriate television personality and actor in Japan
- Thane Houser (1891-1967), American racecar driver
Citations +
- Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
- Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
- Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
- Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html