Contents [hide]

Munn History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Munn History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the Munn family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived in Kent. The name, however, is a reference to the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Moion, near St. Lo, Normandy, "where the site of their castle is still to be seen. Wace tells us that 'old William de Moion had with him many companions' and the battle of Hastings, and one of Leland's rolls of the Norman conquerors is nothing but a list of those who came in the train of 'Monseir William de Moion le Veil, le plus noble de tout l'ouste." 1

Early Origins of the Munn family

The surname Munn was first found in Kent where they held a family seat at Maidstone in that shire. They were descended from Guillaume (William) de Moyon a Norman Baron whose seat was at the castle of Moion, near St. Lo in Normandy. 2

William de Moyon received large grants of land in Somerset, the Lordship of Clehangre in Devon, and Sutton in Wiltshire. He also had grants in Kent. From William was descended the first Earl of Somerset, the Earls of Dorset and the Barons of Okehampton.

"At the period of the Conquest, this town [now called Minehead], then called Manheved, was given by William [the Conqueror] to William de Mohun." 3

Although the main stem of this very noble Norman family retained the various spellings of Munn or Munns, junior lines adopted the name Munson or Munnings. The same William de Mohun (Moyon) held estates in Dunster, Somerset.

"The town, which is called Torre in Domesday Book, owes its origin to a baronial castle built here by William de Mohun, a Norman Baron, on whom the Conqueror had bestowed large estates in this part of the kingdom. The castle, which was held by the family of Mohun till the reign of Edward III., was the scene of hostilities in the civil wars of the reigns of Stephen and John, and in the contests between the houses of York and Lancaster; the Marquess of Hertford, also, took possession of it for Charles I. during the war with the parliament." 3

"Rosteage, [in the parish of Gerrans, Cornwall] in the reign of Elizabeth, was the seat of Reginald Mohun, a captain under Sir Walter Raleigh. In this family it continued until the year 1662, when it was purchased by Nicholas Kempe, Esq." 4

Early History of the Munn family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Munn research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1390, 1400, 1508, 1564, 1568, 1571, 1573, 1579, 1587, 1595, 1603, 1610, 1615, 1616, 1618, 1620, 1625, 1626, 1641, 1642, 1645, 1665, 1681, 1684, 1685, 1689, 1690, 1692, 1712, 1718 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Munn History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Munn Spelling Variations

Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Moyon, Moion, Mohun, Moyne, Munn, Munns, Munson, Munton, Mwn, Mun, Munds, Mouns, Muns, Munnes, Munnson, Munnsen, Munning and many more.

Early Notables of the Munn family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Reginald Mohun, 1st Baronet (ca.1603-1642), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons in 1625 and 1626; John Mohun, 1st Baron Mohun of Okehampton (1595-1641), an English politician; Warwick Mohun, 2nd Baron Mohun of Okehampton (1620-1665), an English politician; Michael Mohun (1616?-1684), a...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Munn Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Munn Ranking

In the United States, the name Munn is the 4,243^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Munn family to Ireland

Some of the Munn family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Munn migration to the United States +

Because of the political and religious discontent in England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Munn name or one of its variants:

Munn Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Margaret Munn, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 6
Mathew Munn, who landed in Maryland in 1663 6

Munn Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Christian Munn, who landed in New York in 1740 6
Duncan Munn, who arrived in Virginia in 1776 6

Munn Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Munn and his family arrived in New York in 1811
William Munn, who landed in New York, NY in 1811 6
David Munn, aged 43, who landed in New York in 1812 6
John Munn, aged 23, who landed in Missouri in 1840 6
Peter Munn, aged 25, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Munn migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Munn Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

John Munn was a merchant of Ferryland, Newfoundland in 1815 7
James Munn, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the brig "Dorcas Savage" from Belfast, Ireland
Mary Munn, aged 28, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1833 aboard the ship "Margaret" from London, England

Munn migration to Australia +

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

Munn Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Caroline Munn, (b. 1818), aged 20, English house maid from Benenden, Kent, England travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Maitland" arriving in Paterson River, New South Wales, Australia on 6th November 1838, she married William Bowden from the same ship, she died in 1901 8
George Munn, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Ascendant" in 1849 9
George Munn, aged 23, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Ascendant" 9
William Munn, aged 24, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1850 aboard the ship "Lysander" 10
James Munn (aged 26), a blacksmith, who arrived in South Australia in 1856 aboard the ship "Eliza"

Munn migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 11

Munn Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

HolliBerry Munn, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Munn Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Richard Munn, who arrived in Jamaica in 1795 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Munn (post 1700) +

Oscar Munn, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1892 12
Rico Munn, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Colorado, 2000 12
Luella Munn, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1964 12
Joseph L. Munn, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1881 12
John Munn, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Essex County, 1852 12
George C. Munn, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for New York State Assembly from Kings County 6th District, 1920 12
Frank B. Munn, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut Republican State Central Committee, 1922 12
Ella B. Munn, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1964 12
Earle Harold Munn Jr. (b. 1928), American politician, Prohibition Candidate for University of Michigan Board of Regents, 1961; Prohibition Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1964, 1976, 1980 12
Earl Harold Munn Sr. (1903-1992), American politician, Michigan Prohibition Party State Chair, 1947; Vice-chair of Michigan Prohibition Party, 1953; Chairman of Prohibition National Committee, 1955-71 12
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Munn 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: Omnia vincit veritas
Motto Translation: Truth conquers all things.

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
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
Ship Voyages to New South Wales (Retrieved 11th July 2021). Retrieved from https://indexes.records.nsw.gov.au/ebook/list.aspx?Page=NRS5313/4_4780/Maitland_5 Nov 1838/4_478000079.jpg&No=167
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The ASCENDANT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Ascendant.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LYSANDER 1850. Retrieved http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Lysander.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html