The chronicles of Scottish history reveal that the first people to use the name Tenant were the Strathclyde-Britons. It was a name for a tenant farmer. The name was applied to those who paid for the rent on their land through working the fields and donating a percentage of the take to the landlord. [1] [2] [3] [4]
The surname tenant was first found in Linlithgowshire (Gaelic: Lodainn an Iar), former county in south-central Scotland, now the Council Area West Lothian, where they held a family seat at Crestone or Creston from about the year 1150 A.D.
Early records in Scotland include: William tenant of Crestone of county of Linlescu, 1296. His seal shows a large dog and 'S' Will'l Tenavont.' Thomas Tenaunt was one of the witnesses in the inquiry concerning the Templars in 1309, and John Tenant was one of the garrison of Edinburgh Castle, (1339-1340.) John Tennand was one of the burgesses of Stirling who attacked the cruives and fishings of the abbot and convent of Cambuskenneth, 1366. [5]
A little further to the south in England, the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed: Willelmus Tenaunt; Johannes Tenant; and Ricardus Tenaunt. [6]
The Subsidy Rolls of Cumbria (Cumberland) in 1332 included Richard Tenand and in the same year, Robert Tenaunt was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Lancashire. [7]
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tenant research. Another 237 words (17 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1320, 1339, 1366, 1500, 1519, 1539, 1542, 1550, 1555, 1644, 1649, 1564, 1565, 1563, 1748, 1549, 1673, 1746, 1695, 1706, 1718, 1727, 1740 and 1777 are included under the topic Early Tenant History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Prior to the first dictionaries, scribes spelled words according to sound. This, and the fact that Scottish names were repeatedly translated from Gaelic to English and back, contributed to the enormous number of spelling variations in Scottish names. Tenant has been spelled Tennant, tenant, Tennand, Tennan, Tenman, Tennend, Tennent, Tenand and many more.
Notable amongst the family at this time was John Tennent of Listonshiels (died c. 1549), a servant and companion of James V of Scotland; and William Tennent (1673-1746), an early American religious leader and educator in British North America. Born in Mid Calder, Linlithgowshire, Scotland, he graduated from the University of Edinburgh in...
Another 53 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Tenant Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Tenant family to IrelandSome of the Tenant family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
tenant migration to the United States +In such difficult times, the difficulties of raising the money to cross the Atlantic to North America did not seem so large compared to the problems of keeping a family together in Scotland. It was a journey well worth the cost, since it was rewarded with land and freedom the Scots could not find at home. The American War of Independence solidified that freedom, and many of those settlers went on to play important parts in the forging of a great nation. Among them:
Tenant migration to Canada +Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Tenant migration to Australia +
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