Contents [hide]

Maine History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Maine History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Maine arrived in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Maine family lived in Maien, or Mayene, from Mayenne in Maine, Normandy and was a powerful baronial house, with Walter de Maynne listed in 976. 1

Early Origins of the Maine family

The surname Maine was first found in Devon at King's Nympton, a parish, in the union of South Molton, hundred of Witheridge. The manor, which was parcel of the ancient demesne of the crown, was granted by King John to Joel de Mayne, by whose rebellion it was again vested in the crown: it was given by Henry III. to Roger le Zouch. 2

"Judael of Mayenne had a vast barony in Devon in 1086, and his family long continued there. In 1165 Walter Fitz Juel de Mayenne (de Meduana) held a barony of twenty-one knight's fees in Kent." 3

Judael appears in the Domesday Book as Judhel de Totenais, so named for the barony of Totness. He is probably the grandfather of Juhel de Meduana who witnesses one of the Empress Maud's charters to Geoffrey de Mandeville. Nicholas de Meduana, of Dorset and Somerset are listed in the Great Roll of the Pipe (Pipe Rolls) 1 Richard I. 1

Early History of the Maine family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Maine research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1544, 1577, 1612, 1631, 1633, 1654, 1661, 1668, 1683, 1702, 1705, 1708, 1711 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Maine History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maine Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Main, Maine, Mayne and others.

Early Notables of the Maine family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Saint Cuthbert Mayne (1544-1577), an English Roman Catholic priest and martyr of the Reformation and Counter-Reformation; Simon Mayne (1612-1661), English Member of Parliament from Dinton Hall in Buck...
Alexander DelaMaine (fl. 1654-1683), the Muggletonian, was probably originally a Baptist; his brother Edward was, in 1668, a Baptist preacher at Marlborough, Wiltshire. 4
Richard DelaMaine the Elder (fl. 1631), the English mathematician, speaks of himself in his earliest published work, 'Grammelogia,' as a 'teacher and student of the mathematics,' and dedicates the boo...
Richard DelaMaine the Younger (fl. 1654), the English mathematician was perhaps eldest son of Richard Delamaine the Elder. 4

Maine Ranking

In the United States, the name Maine is the 11,496^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5 However, in South Africa, the name Maine is ranked the 725^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,452 people with that name. 6

Migration of the Maine family to Ireland

Some of the Maine family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 56 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Maine migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Maine or a variant listed above:

Maine Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Maine of York, England, who settled in America in 1629 and settled at York, Maine
Gregory Maine, who settled in Virginia in 1650
Grigory Maine, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 7
Ann Maine, who landed in Virginia in 1663 7
Mary Maine, who arrived in Virginia in 1664 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Maine Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

William Maine, who arrived in Virginia in 1701-1702 7
Thomas Maine, who landed in Virginia in 1717 7
George Maine, who settled in Georgia in 1735

Maine Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Maine, aged 20, who landed in America in 1821 7
Charles Maine, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
N Maine, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Roman Maine, who arrived in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1859 7

Maine migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Maine Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Peter Maine, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1749
James Maine, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Thomas Maine Sr., U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 8

Maine migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Maine Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Maine, (b. 1827), aged 22 , Cornish farm labourer departing from Plymouth on 10th October 1848 aboard the ship "Duchess of Northumberland" arriving in Port Phillip, Cornwall, UK on 15th January 1849 9

Maine 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:

Maine Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mrs. Maine, Australian settler travelling from Sydney aboard the ship "Easby" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 31st October 1874 10

Contemporary Notables of the name Maine (post 1700) +

Thurman P. Maine, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Stonington, 1913-14 11
Stephen Maine, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Stonington, 1831 11
Roy Rogers Maine Sr., American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 79th District, 1978 11
N. Frank Maine, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Stonington, 1921-22 11
Myron M. Maine, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Bolton, 1912 11
Irving R. Maine, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Stonington, 1921-22; Defeated, 1930 11
Hattie M. Maine, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Stonington, 1920 11
Ernest Orrin Maine (b. 1913), American Republican politician, Auctioneer; Member of Rhode Island State House of Representatives, 1947-49; Member of Rhode Island State Senate, 1949-57 11
David Maine, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Madison County 1st District, 1849 11
Chester S. Maine, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from North Stonington, 1909-10 11
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Maine 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: Projeci
Motto Translation: I have thrown away.

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 2 of 3
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
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/
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/surnames
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 7) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html