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Payne Genealogy and Payne Family History Information

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Profiles

  • A.D. Mary Payne (1862 - 1863)
  • Aaron fitz Payne (c.1120 - d.)
    See Darrell Wolcott, "Aeron Paen ap Y Paen Hen," for help in untangling these lines (May 26, 2016; Anne Brannen, curator). Please see Darrell Wolcott: The Evolution of the "Padriarc Brenin" Pedigree; ...
  • Aaron Payne (1835 - d.)
  • Abigail Andrews (c.1680 - 1721)
    The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records: Wallingford, 1670-1850History of Wallingford, Conn. by Charles Henry Stanley DavisGenealogies - Part 1, pg. 617Families of Ancient New Haven by...
  • Abigail Anna Payne (1862 - 1934)

About the Payne surname

origin

The ancient Normans that arrived in England following the Conquest of 1066 are the initial ancestors from which the many generations of the Payne family have grown. The name Payne was given to a member of the family who was a person who lives in the country or a person who's religious beliefs are somewhat suspect. Checking further we found the name was derived from the Old English word paien, which was originally derived from the Latin word paganus, meaning rustic or countryman. It later also came to mean heathen and was often given to children whose baptism was delayed or, to adults whose religious zeal was not what the standards of the day indicated it should have been.

Conversely, many believe that the family claim Norman descent as in "Paganus was a Norman personal name, whence the modern Payne and Paine, as well as the more ancient Paganel and Paynel. William the Conqueror was assisted in his invasion, by several persons so designated, and in [the] Domesday Book we find among his tenants in capite, or chief holders of land, the names of Ralph Paganel and Edmund filius Pagani, i.e., Fitz-Payne. Indeed during the Norman dynasty, Paganus was one of the most common names in England."

other versions of this surname

sources