Tannar History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Tannar

What does the name Tannar mean?

The name Tannar is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a person who worked as the local tanner. This occupational surname was originally derived from the work that the original bearer did. In this case the original bearer treated animal skins with tannin in order to prevent the skins from decomposing so that they could use the leather to produce various goods. Occupational names frequently were derived from the principal object associated with the activity of the original bearer, such as tools or products. These types of occupational surnames are called metonymic surnames.

Early Origins of the Tannar family

The surname Tannar was first found in Devon, but we must look to Normandy to find the earliest record of the family. For it is there that Hugh de Tanur made grants to the Abbey of Culture, Normandy in 1082. 1 At that time, there was a variety of early spellings including Tannour, Le Tannur, Tannator and Le Tanur. 2

Later, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 would show the wide usage of the name and early variants throughout ancient Britain: Elfer Tannator, Sussex; John Tannarius, Oxfordshire; Philip le Tannour, Huntingdonshire; and Henry le Tanur, Nottinghamshire. 3

Early History of the Tannar family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tannar research. Another 80 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1613, 1630, 1657, 1658, 1674, 1682, 1735 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Tannar History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tannar Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Tannar include Tanner, Tannor and others.

Early Notables of the Tannar family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tannar Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tannar family to Ireland

Some of the Tannar family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 68 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Tannar family

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Tannar were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records: Daniel Tanner settled in Virginia in 1618; two years before the "Mayflower"; Maurice Tanner settled in New England in 1663; William Tanner settled in Pennsylvania in 1682.

Sources +

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)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)