Carnan History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

• Origins Available:
• England

Etymology of Carnan

The name Carnan arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. It is a name for a person who was known as the carman, or one who rented or let out vehicles. Often carmen were known as hostilers.

Early Origins of the Carnan family

Early History of the Carnan family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Carnan research. Another 158 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1086 and 1300 are included under the topic Early Carnan History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Carnan Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Carman, Carmen, Carmine, Carmyn and others.

Early Notables of the Carnan family

More information is included under the topic Early Carnan Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Carnan family

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World under extremely harsh conditions. Overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Carnan or a variant listed above: Henry Carman aged 23; who settled in Virginia in 1620; the same year that the "Mayflower" arrived to the north in Massachusetts; John Carman settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1621 the year following the ".