Surname Temney - Meaning and Origin
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Temney: What does the surname Temney mean?
The last name Temney is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is thought to derive from the Old English words “tema”, meaning “tribe” and “nléa”, which was an occupational name for a teacher or “nerd”. Temney can be a surname for someone who was a teacher, preacher, scribe, or adviser.
The name Temney can also be traced back to a Scottish clan known as Clan Teine. The clan was originally based in Aberdeenshire and their descendents lived around the Moray Firth. Clan Teine had several branches, including the Temneys, through which the surname is thought to have been derived.
The name Temney has variants which include Temmany, Temany, and Tamany. Individuals with the surname Temney were prominent members of their communities and many held important posts in churches and government offices. Some may have owned farms or businesses. Over time, the surname spread to other parts of England and Scotland, as well as the United States.
Today, the surname Temney is more commonly found among those with British, Scottish, and Irish heritage. It is not a particularly common last name and is most likely to be encountered in areas with connections to Great Britain or Ireland.
Order DNA origin analysisTemney: Where does the name Temney come from?
The last name Temney is most commonly found in the United States. According to US Census data, the surname is most prevalent in the Midwest states of Wisconsin, Ohio, Minnesota, and Iowa. Records show that the first Temney family to settle in the US were of German origins and arrived in the Wisconsin area in the mid-1800s.
The Temney family is believed to have originally come from Baden-Wurttemburg, Germany. Today, it is still possible to visit the old Temney homes in the City of Adelberg, Germany. During the WWII, many of the Temneys emigrated to the USA.
Since the early immigration of the Temney family to the United States, many of the surviving family members have moved throughout the Midwest and East Coast and have since become quite widespread throughout the country.
Although the Temney name is not particularly common, it can be found in many states and is even listed among some of the top 1000 most common US surnames. The Temney name is most notably found along the eastern seaboard, mid-Atlantic region, and in some Midwestern states. With the heightened emigration to the United States in the early-to-mid twentieth century, the Temney name continues to spent and is even growing in popularity as more Temneys settle in the United States.
Variations of the surname Temney
The surname Temney is thought to be of English origin, and derived from the place name of Temen or Timen in Bedfordshire. This place name is derived from the Old English words “tēam” which means “enclosure” or “settlement”, and “ing” which refers to a people living in a particular place. This suggests the surname Temney could refer to somebody would lived near or at a settlement or enclosure.
The variants, spellings and surnames of the same origin for Temney include Temen, Temm, Timen, Temming, Temin, Temning, Temnay, Temnaye, Temings, Temnys, Temneys, Temnos, Temnoes.
It is possible that individuals who adopted the Temney surname when emigrating had previous surnames that had been recorded with various spellings that were the same or similar to the surname Temney. Some of these may include: Temene, Temmine, Timmin, Tymin, Thimin, Thymn, Timmon, Temmina, Temneye, and Temenay.
There could also be other surnames based on the same origin that do not relate to Temney at all, such as Tamen, Tomlin, Tomen, Tobin, Townsend, Teaming, Teeming, Timlin and Tudman.
Famous people with the name Temney
- Colleen Featherstone Temney: Colleen Featherstone Temney is an American artist, color expert, and professor at Parsons School of Design and The New School. She has an extensive artistic and academic background, having previously taught Color Theory at the Pratt Institute and acted as the Color Director at Hunter Douglas Contract.
- Julian Temney: Julian Temney is a Venezuelan actor, singer, and dancer who has been part of several stage comedies and soap operas in his native country. He is part of the famous Teleton Foundation and was a participant of the Venezuelan version of Dancing with the Stars.
- Max Temney: Max Temney is an American actor, writer, and producer who has worked on a number of popular television shows. Some of his credits include Friends, Angel, Chuck, and 24.
- Mago O'Temney: Mago O'Temney is a Scottish-born Celtic folk singer and illustrator who is based in the U.K. She is a multi-instrumentalist and performs traditional Celtic music as a solo artist as well as with a variety of other bands.
- Laura Temney: Laura Temney is a contemporary artist who works primarily with digital photography, video, and collage. Her works have been exhibited at galleries across the U.S. and Europe.