Show ContentsManes History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Manes

What does the name Manes mean?

The name Manes came to England with the ancestors of the Manes family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Manes 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 Manes family

The surname Manes 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 Manes family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Manes 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 Manes History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Manes Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Main, Maine, Mayne and others.

Early Notables of the Manes 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 Buckinghamshire, one of the regicides of King Charles I; and Lieutenant-General Edmund Maine (1633-1711), an English soldier and politician, Governor of Berwick-upon-Tweed (1702-1711) and Member of Parliament for Morpeth (1705-1708.)Alexander DelaMaine (fl. 1654-1683), the Muggletonian...
Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Manes Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Manes Ranking

In the United States, the name Manes is the 12,576th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Manes family to Ireland

Some of the Manes 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.


Manes migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Manes or a variant listed above:

Manes Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Manes, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 5
Manes Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Louis Manes, aged 36, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1849 5
  • H Manes, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 5
  • James Manes, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1874 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Manes (post 1700) +

  • Donald R. Manes (1934-1986), American Democratic Party politician, borough President of Queens, New York, 1971-86; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New York, 1980, 1984 6
  • Josef Mánes (1820-1871), Czechoslovakian artist
  • József Manes Österreicher (1756-1831), Jewish Hungarian physician


The Manes 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.


  1. 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
  2. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  3. 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)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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