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Strang History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Strang History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Strang is derived from a nickname in the Old French. A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

In the pre-Christian era, many pagan gods and demi-gods were believed to be a mixture of animals and humans, such as the Greek god Pan who was the god of flocks and herds and was represented as a man with the legs, horns and ears of a goat. In the Middle Ages, anthropomorphic ideas, which attributed human qualities and form to gods or animals, were held about the characters of other living creatures. They were based on the creature's habits. Moreover, these associations were reflected in folk tales, mythology, and legends that portrayed animals behaving as humans. The Old French nickname Strang, meant "stranger." Nicknames come from the category of surnames known as hereditary surnames. They were adopted from a variety of sources including, physical characteristics, behaviour, mannerisms, and other personal attributes. Strang would have been given to someone who was new in the village or parish. In the Middle Ages, the vast majority of people never traveled any more than thirty miles or so from the place of their birth. Travel and emigration was reserved for the nobility, by and large. The surname Strang was derived from the Old French word estrange, which meant foreign. This is a name associated with the Bretons, a culture from the peninsula of Brittany, in the northwest of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coast and is broken by hills in the west. However, the region was renamed Britannia Minor by the Romans, following the emigration of six thousand Britons across the English Channel, an event which took place at the behest of the Roman Commander in Britain.

Early Origins of the Strang family

The surname Strang was first found in Derbyshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the manor of Pevell's Castle in the peak of Derbyshire. Guido le Strange, son of the Duke of Brittany was present at a joust with Owen, Prince of Wales and the Scottish Prince. Guido le Strange was ancestor of the various baronial houses of L'Strange and Strange. "The church [in Wellesbourn-Hastings in Warwickshire] is partly Norman, and partly in the early English style, with a tower of later character, and contains a monument to the memory of Sir Thomas le Strange, lord-lieutenant of Ireland in the reign of Henry VI." 1

Roger Le Strange (died 1311), was an early English jurist, "a descendant of Guy Le Strange, who is thought to have been a younger son of Hoel II, Duke of Brittany (1066-1084). He was sheriff of Yorkshire during the last two years of the reign of Henry III, and the first two of that of Edward I. " 2

Early History of the Strang family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Strang research. Another 152 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1255, 1267, 1296, 1305, 1320, 1324, 1332, 1349, 1353, 1361, 1375, 1547, 1584, 1588, 1611, 1631, 1646, 1654, 1682, 1696, 1754 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Strang History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Strang Spelling Variations

The Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules, and therefore, Breton surnames have many spelling variations. Latin and French, which were the official court languages, were also influential on the spelling of surnames. The spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules. Therefore, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England after the Norman Conquest, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. The name has been spelled Strange, Strang and others.

Early Notables of the Strang family

Notable of this family during the Middle Ages was

Fulk le Strange, 1st Baron Strange of Blackmere (1267-1324); John le Strange, 2nd Baron Strange of Blackmere (1305-1349); Fulk le Strange, 3rd Baron Strange of Blackmere (1320-1349); John le Strange...
Richard Strange (1611-1682) was an English Jesuit, born in Northumberland in 1611, entered the Society of Jesus in 1631, and was professed of the four vows on 21 Nov. 1646 and Sir John Strange (1696-1...
John Strang (1584-1654), was principal of Glasgow University, was born at Irvine in the county of Ayr in 1584. "His father, William Strang (1547-1588), minister of Irvine, belonged to the ancient fami...
Richard Strange (1611-1682), was an English Jesuit from Northumberland

Strang Ranking

In the United States, the name Strang is the 10,699^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Strang family to Ireland

Some of the Strang 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.

Strang migration to the United States +

Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Strang family to immigrate North America:

Strang Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Roger Strang, who settled in Nevis in 1660
Tho Strang, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 4
Mary Strang, who arrived in Virginia in 1665 4
Susan Strang, who landed in Virginia in 1665 4
Christian Strang, who arrived in New Jersey in 1685 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Strang Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Caleb and Maria Strang, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1774

Strang Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Strang, who landed in New York in 1801 4
James Strang, who arrived in America in 1830 4
William French Strang, who arrived in North Carolina in 1840 4
G B Strang, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 4

Strang Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James Morrison Strang, who landed in Wisconsin in 1910 4

Strang migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Strang Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Jesse Strang U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 5

Strang migration to Australia +

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

Strang Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mary Strang, aged 44, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "William Stevenson" 6
Matthew Strang, aged 28, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "William Stevenson" 6
William Strang, aged 19, who arrived in South Australia in 1860 aboard the ship "Grand Trianon"

Strang 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:

Strang Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

James Strang, who landed in Wairarapa, New Zealand in 1840
Robert Rodger Strang, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840 aboard the ship Bengal Merchant 7
Robert Rodger Strang, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 8
Susan Douglas Strang, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" in 1840 8
Mr. Robert R. Strang, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Bengal Merchant" arriving in Port Nicholson, (Wellington Harbour), New Zealand on 20th February 1840 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Strang (post 1700) +

James Jesse Strang (1813-1856), American religious leader, politician, founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite)
William Gilbert "Gil" Strang (1934-1955), American mathematician, Rhodes Scholar (1955)
Gordon "Cocker" Strang (b. 1909), Australian rules footballer
John Strang (1795-1863), Scottish author of ‘Glasgow and its Clubs,’ the son of a wine merchant in Glasgow
David Strang (b. 1968), British gold medalist middle distance runner at the 1994 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
William John "Bill" Strang CBE Ph.D FREng FRAeS, FRS (1921-1999), British aerospace engineer
Blair Strang (b. 1972), New Zealand actor
William Strang (1859-1921), Scottish painter and engraver
Bryan Colin Strang (b. 1972), Zimbabwean cricketer
Gavin Steel Strang (b. 1943), British politician, former Minister of State for Transport
... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Strang family +

Bismarck

Alfred Strang (1915-1941), German Maschinenmaat who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 10

Winter Quarters coal mine

Mr. Frank Strang Jr. (b. 1876), Scottish mine worker residing in Ogden, Utah who worked in the Winter Quarters coal mine on 1st May 1900, when 10 of the 25lb kegs of black powder exploded; he died in the explosion 11
Mr. Francis Strang (b. 1848), Scottish mine worker residing in Ogden, Utah who worked in the Winter Quarters coal mine on 1st May 1900, when 10 of the 25lb kegs of black powder exploded; he died in the explosion 11

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
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/
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
South Australian Register Friday 2nd February 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) William Stevenson 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/williamstevenson1855.shtml
Shadow Time Settlers (Retrieved 5th November 2010), retrieved from http://shadowsoftime.co.nz/settlers.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Miners killed in Winter Quarters (retrieved 28th July 2021). Retrieved from http://www.carbon-utgenweb.com/miners.html