Show ContentsHonnor History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

A multitude of prestigious family names, such as the surname Honnor, were formed in the lands which became the modern state of Germany, a place renowned for its beauty, industry, and economic power. However, in the medieval era, Germany was fragmented and inhabited by numerous Barbarian tribes, who fought amongst themselves for control of the land. At this time, the surname Honnor emerged throughout the German territories.

Early Origins of the Honnor family

The surname Honnor was first found in Germany, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name Hann became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation. Hans den alten Hanne and his son Hans den junge Hanne were recorded in the "Zeirschrift fur deutsche Geschicte des Oberrheins" in the year 1386. In 1498, Bernhardus Hani appears in the Wurttembergische Regesten" as a citizen of Grosseislingen.

Early History of the Honnor family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Honnor research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1752, 1792, 1805, 1839, 1843, 1863, 1880 and 1921 are included under the topic Early Honnor History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Honnor Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Honnor include Hann, Hanne, Hänn, Hahn, Hahne, Hahnn, Hahnne, Haann, Haanne, Haan, Haane, Hahner, Hahnen, Hahns, Hahnlen, Hähnel, Hannel, Hanl, Hanner, Hanns, Haun, Haunn, Hawn, Honn, Honnel, Honner, Hohn, Hohne, Haen and many more.

Early Notables of the Honnor family

Notables of the time with the name Honnor included Julius Hann (1839-1921) Austrian meteorologist and climatologist whose international reputation was built on his studies of atmospheric dynamics, thermodynamics, cyclones, climatology and the "atmospheric pulse"; August Hahn (1792-1863) German divine who served...
Another 41 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Honnor Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Honnor migration to the United States +

Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Honnor were among those contributors:

Honnor Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Sarah Honnor, who arrived in Virginia in 1701 1

New Zealand Honnor 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:

Honnor Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • George Honnor, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1854 2
  • Mary Honnor, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1854 2
  • H. Honnor, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Palmyra" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 19th February 1858 3

HMS Cornwall
  • Albert Edward Honnor (b. 1919), British Seaman aboard the HMS Cornwall (1942) when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he survived the sinking 4


  1. 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)
  2. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A


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