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Tansey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Tansey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Tansey family

The surname Tansey was first found in Derbyshire at Tansley, a hamlet, in the parish of Crich, union of Bakewell, hundred of Wirksworth. 1 The first record of this family was Hemming de Taneslea who was listed in the Pipe Rolls of Derbyshire in 1175. 2

The hamlet of Tansley dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086 where it was first recorded as Taneslege. 3 The place name probably meant "woodland clearing of a man called Tan," from the Old English personal name + "leah." 4

Early History of the Tansey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tansey research. Another 69 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tansey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tansey Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Tansey include Tansley, Tansleigh and others.

Early Notables of the Tansey family

More information is included under the topic Early Tansey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tansey Ranking

In the United States, the name Tansey is the 15,977^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Tansey migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Tansey or a variant listed above:

Tansey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Alexander Tansey, who arrived in Maryland in 1680 6

Tansey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Annie Tansey, aged 12, who immigrated to the United States from Preston, England, in 1909
Brian Tansey, aged 18, who landed in America from Ballymote, Ireland, in 1909
Andrew Joseph Tansey, aged 28, who immigrated to America from London, England, in 1910
Annie Tansey, aged 20, who landed in America from Gusteen, Ireland, in 1910
Bridget Tansey, aged 23, who immigrated to the United States from Boyle, Ireland, in 1913
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Tansey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Tansey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Dennis Tansey, aged 26 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Dykes" departing 23rd April 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 7
Mr. James Tansey, aged 2 who was emigrating through Grosse Isle Quarantine Station, Quebec aboard the ship "Dykes" departing 23rd April 1847 from Sligo, Ireland; the ship arrived on 10th June 1847 but he died on board 7

Tansey 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:

Tansey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mary Tansey, aged 21, a nurse, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880
Elizabeth Tansey, aged 18, a housemaid, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Earl Granville" in 1880

Contemporary Notables of the name Tansey (post 1700) +

T. B. Tansey, American politician, Member of Alaska territorial House of Representatives 3rd District, 1915-16 8
Joseph J. Tansey, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maine, 1956 8
John P. Tansey, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1940 8
Charles M. Tansey, American politician, Delegate to New Mexico State Constitutional Convention, 1969 8
Mark Tansey (b. 1949), American postmodern painter
Luraine Tansey, American slide librarian who created the first Universal Slide Classification System in 1969
Jordan Tansey (b. 1986), English rugby league player
Gregory James "Greg" Tansey (b. 1988), English footballer

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
"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)
Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 97)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html