Greentree History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The ancestry of the name Greentree dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived in the village greene which was the center or main square of each region. It is derived from the Old English "grene," meaning "green," and was most likely first borne by a family who lived in the village greene, the center or main square of a region. Alternatively, it may have been bestowed as a nickname on someone who was particularly fond of dressing in green. 1

Early Origins of the Greentree family

The surname Greentree was first found in Kent, where the earliest record of the name was Geoffrey Greene who was recorded in a Poll Tax in 1188. As every early English village had a green, the surname Greentree emerged independently in many different places during the Middle Ages, thus creating several early branches of the Greentree family. Richard de la Grene was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1200 and Geoffrey Attegrene was listed in the Assize Rolls of Lancashire in 1206. 2 The prefix "atte" was a popular namesake which meant in this case "at the green." 1

Years later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Deonisia ate Grene and Warin de la Grene; while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 list Petnis del Grene and Adam del Grene, as holding lands there at that time. 3

Records in Scotland were very scarce, but we did find "Roger del ('of the') Grene in Roxburghshire [who] rendered homage in 1296 [to King Edward I of England]. Master John Grene, [was] Chancellor of Moray, 1463." 4

Early History of the Greentree family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Greentree research. Another 84 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1221, 1461, 1462, 1506, 1558, 1592, 1614, 1620, 1630, 1636, 1679, 1685, 1690, 1700, 1702, 1705, 1708 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Greentree History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Greentree Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Greentree have been found, including Greene, Green, Grene, Grean and others.

Early Notables of the Greentree family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Thomas de Green (c.1461-1506), Lord of Greens Norton, received Boughton, Greens Norton, and large monetary grants through his inheritance upon the death of his father in 1462; Dr. John Green, the Bishop of Lincoln; Sir William Greene of Oxford, Alderman Greene of Chester; Robert Greene (1558-1592), English dramatist; John Henry Green (1636-1685), an English...
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Greentree Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Greentree family to Ireland

Some of the Greentree family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 123 words (9 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Greentree family

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Greentree, or a variant listed above: Aderton Greene, who came to Virginia in 1623; John Greene, who settled in Boston in 1625; Abigail Greene, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1632.

Contemporary Notables of the name Greentree (post 1700) +

Bill Greentree (b. 1969), Australian former professional rugby league footballer who played for the Parramatta Eels (1990-1993)
Leslie Greentree, Canadian poet from Grande Prairie, Alberta who was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2004, winner of the Howard O’Hagan award for best book of short fiction in 2007
Kyle Greentree (b. 1983), Canadian professional ice hockey player

The Greentree Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Virtus semper viridis
Motto Translation: Virtue is always flourishing.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
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)
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)