Tony History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Italy
Ireland

The name Tony was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Tony family lived in Toesny, "in the commune of Gaillon, arrondissement of Louviers, Normandy. Six of this name are on the Dives Roll; Raoul, Robert, Juhel, Ibert, Berenger, and Guillaume ; but Juhel is inserted by mistake, for he was named De Toteneis, or Totness, from his Devonshire barony. Raoul or Ralph de Toeni- called by Wace De Conches (from his barony of Conches, near Evreux, where his father Roger had founded an abbey),was the Hereditary Standard Bearer of Normandy, and, as such, offered the honour of bearing the consecrated banner at the battle of Hastings." 1

"The De Toenis were 'royal, descended from an uncle of Rollo; ' and one of the greatest houses in Normandy. Ralph de Toeni was among Duke William's chief barons, and 'through the malicious suggestion of some who bore a grudge towards him' had been at one time expelled from the Duchy, but by 'the intercession of Friends' reinstated in his estates and office of standard-bearer. He appears as a great landowner in Domesday, and though his principal estates were in Norfolk, chose Flamstead in Hertfordshire as his chief residence." 1

Early Origins of the Tony family

The surname Tony was first found in Leicestershire where Ralph de Toni received lands of the Lordship of Belvoir for his services as Standard bearer at Hastings in 1066 A.D.

Further to the south and west in Cornwall, "the manor of Helston-Tony [in the parish of Helston] belonged at an early period to a family called Tony. From this family it passed by a female heir to the Beauchamps." 2

Early History of the Tony family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Tony research. Another 111 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1510 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Tony History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Tony Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Tone, Toney and others.

Early Notables of the Tony family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

John Toney, Toneys or Tonneys (d. 1510?), English grammarian, perhaps a native of Tony, Norfolk, and was educated from childhood at the Austin Friary, Norwich3...

Migration of the Tony family to Ireland

Some of the Tony 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.

Tony migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Tony or a variant listed above:

Tony Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Tony, who landed in Virginia in 1666 4

Tony 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:

Tony Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Tony, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840

Contemporary Notables of the name Tony (post 1700) +

Anthony Tony Tarracino (1916-2008), American politician, Mayor of Key West, Florida, 1989-91; Defeated, 1991 5
Mitchell Tony Oxborrow (b. 1995), Australian footballer for Perth Glory in the A-League, member of the Australia U-17 National Team in 2011 and the Australia U-20 National Team (2012-)
Garda Tony Golden (d. 2015), Irish officer of the Garda Síochána who was shot in a murder-suicide attack near Omeath, County Louth on 11 October 2015
John Tony Salazar (b. 1953), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Colorado State House of Representatives, 2003-04; U.S. Representative from Colorado 3rd District, 2005- 6
Tony Jacklin CBE (b. 1944), English retired golfer, the most successful British player of his generation, winning two major championships, BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1969 and 1970, inducted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002
Tony Tim Henriksen (b. 1973), former Danish footballer
Tony Adeane (1952-2024), New Zealand lawyer and judge
Tony Tarantino (1940-2023), American actor and producer, father of filmmaker Quentin Tarantino
Tony Oxley (1938-2023), English free improvising drummer from Sheffield, West Riding of Yorkshire, one of the founders of Incus Records
Tony Allen (1945-2023), English comedian and writer, the "godfather of alternative comedy"

Citations +

Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 27) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html