Toney History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Toney was brought to England by the Normans when they conquered the country in 1066. The ancestors of the Toney family lived in Toesny, "in the commune of Gaillon, arrondissement of Louviers, Normandy. Six of this name are on the Dives Roll; Raoul, Robert, Juhel, Ibert, Berenger, and Guillaume ; but Juhel is inserted by mistake, for he was named De Toteneis, or Totness, from his Devonshire barony. Raoul or Ralph de Toeni- called by Wace De Conches (from his barony of Conches, near Evreux, where his father Roger had founded an abbey),was the Hereditary Standard Bearer of Normandy, and, as such, offered the honour of bearing the consecrated banner at the battle of Hastings." 1
"The De Toenis were 'royal, descended from an uncle of Rollo; ' and one of the greatest houses in Normandy. Ralph de Toeni was among Duke William's chief barons, and 'through the malicious suggestion of some who bore a grudge towards him' had been at one time expelled from the Duchy, but by 'the intercession of Friends' reinstated in his estates and office of standard-bearer. He appears as a great landowner in Domesday, and though his principal estates were in Norfolk, chose Flamstead in Hertfordshire as his chief residence." 1
Early Origins of the Toney family
The surname Toney was first found in Leicestershire where Ralph de Toni received lands of the Lordship of Belvoir for his services as Standard bearer at Hastings in 1066 A.D.
Further to the south and west in Cornwall, "the manor of Helston-Tony [in the parish of Helston] belonged at an early period to a family called Tony. From this family it passed by a female heir to the Beauchamps." 2
Early History of the Toney family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Toney research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1510 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Toney History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Toney Spelling Variations
It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Toney are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Toney include Tone, Toney and others.
Early Notables of the Toney family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was
- John Toney, Toneys or Tonneys (d. 1510?), English grammarian, perhaps a native of Tony, Norfolk, and was educated from childhood at the Austin Friary, Norwich3...
Toney Ranking
In the United States, the name Toney is the 1,470th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 4
Migration of the Toney family to Ireland
Some of the Toney family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Toney migration to the United States +
Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Toney, or a variant listed above:
Toney Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- James Toney, who arrived in New York, NY in 1841 5
- J T Toney, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 5
- Patrick Toney, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1876
- John Toney, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1877
Toney migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Toney Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
Toney 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:
Toney Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
- John Toney, aged 28, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
- Hannah Toney, aged 4, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Clifton" in 1842
Contemporary Notables of the name Toney (post 1700) +
- Kevin Kraig Toney (b. 1953), American jazz keyboardist, former member of The Blackbyrds
- Fred Toney (1888-1953), American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Chicago Cubs, Cincinnati Reds, New York Giants and St. Louis Cardinals
- Heather McTeer Toney, American politician, environmentalist, attorney, appointed Regional Administrator of Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the Southeast region by President Barack Obama in 2014
- Oscar Toney (b. 1939), American soul singer
- Anthony Toney (b. 1962), former professional American football running back
- Andrew Toney (b. 1957), American former NBA professional basketball player
- Ivan Benjamin Elijah Toney (b. 1996), English professional footballer who plays as a striker for Championship club Brentford
- James "Lights-Out" Toney (b. 1968), American former professional boxer who competed from 1988 to 2017and held multiple world championships in three weight classes
- Brigadier-General Josiah Toney Dalbey (1898-1964), American Assistant Commanding General 5th Division (1948) 7
- Toney T. Hernandez, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 25th District, 1966 8
Suggested Readings for the name Toney +
- The Toney Family History by Elma Henning.
Citations +
- Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
- Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
- Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
- "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)
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 2nd December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/camden
- Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 10) Josiah Dalbey. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Dalbey/Josiah_Toney/USA.html
- The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, May 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html