Contents [hide]

Pyne History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Sources

Pyne History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Etymology of Pyne

What does the name Pyne mean?

The ancestors of the Pyne surname lived among the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. The name comes from when they lived in the county of Devon and Cornwall. Pyne is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. In this case the original bearers of the surname Pyne were known as the dwellers by the pine trees. 1

Alternatively the name could have been "a nickname for a tall, upright man." 2

"Combepyne and Upton Pyne (Devon) were held in the 13th century by a family of de Pyn who may have come from Le Pin (Calvados) or some other French place named from a prominent pine." 2

Another source confirms the Devon branch and also postulates that the name was originally Norman: "Durand, William de Pinu, [were found in] Normandy 1180-95 (Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae). This family was long seated in Devon." 3

More digging about Upton Pyne found this entry: "Pynes, in Upton Pyne, the present seat of the Northcote family (who were at Northcote in East Downe as early as the year 1103), came to them by the marriage of Sir Henry Northcote, the fifth Baronet, with the heiress of Stafford." 4

Unfortunately for this source, Sir Henry Northcote, 5th Baronet (1710-1743) was a much later, so we must presume that the entry meant that the Pyne family were in "East Downe as early as the year 1103."

Early Origins of the Pyne family

The surname Pyne was first found in the 12th century where Bonde Pine was found in Northumberland, 1101-1107 and Robert Pine was listed in Shropshire in 1181. A few years later, Robert Pin was found in the Curia Regis Rolls for Northumberland in 1208 and William Pin was found in the Assize Rolls for Shropshire in 1221. Over in Sussex, Henry le Pyn was listed there in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1332.

In Leicestershire, Morin de Pin was found in the Pipe Rolls of 1130 and in Devon, Alexander de Pinu was listed there in the Pipe Rolls of 1169. Thomas de Pyne was found in Somerset, according to the Assize Rolls of Somerset and later, John atte Pyne was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Cheshire in 1327. 2

Early History of the Pyne family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Pyne research. Another 95 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1603, 1625, 1644, 1653, 1677, 1679, 1690, 1695, 1709, 1732 and 1756 are included under the topic Early Pyne History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pyne Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Pyne include Pyne, Pine and others.

Early Notables of the Pyne family

Notables of the family at this time include

Valentine Pyne (1603-1677), English master-gunner of England, the second son of George Pyne of Curry-Mallet, Somerset; John Pyne (died 1679), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at v...

Pyne Ranking

In the United States, the name Pyne is the 10,715^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Pyne family to Ireland

Some of the Pyne family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Pyne migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Pyne Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Thomas Pyne, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1635 6
Hannah Pyne, who settled in Virginia in 1665
Charles Pyne, who arrived in Maryland in 1679 6
John Pyne, who settled in Maryland in 1682
Richard Pyne, a bonded passenger who settled in America in 1685

Pyne Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Pyne, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1808
John Pyne, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1810 6
Edward Pyne, who arrived in Boston in 1855
John, Michael, Richard, and Thomas Pyne, who all, who arrived in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870

Pyne migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Pyne Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Mr. Alexander Pyne, aged 19 who was a Seaman aboard the ship "Aberdeen" taking passenger to Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died at Grosse Isle in 1847 in the typhus epidemic 7
Mr. Nathaniel Pyne, (b. 1790), aged 65, Cornish tile maker departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, he died in the sinking 8
Mrs. Mary Pyne, (b. 1796), aged 59, Cornish settler departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, she died in the sinking 8
Miss Elizabeth Pyne, (b. 1817), aged 38, Cornish servant departing from Falmouth destined for Quebec, Canada aboard the ship "Barque John" on 3rd May 1855 which sank after striking the reef, she died in the sinking 8

Pyne migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Pyne Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Samuel Pyne, (b. 1805), aged 16, English convict who was convicted in Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England for 7 years for felony, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. James Pyne, English convict who was convicted in Devon, England for 14 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Thomas Pyne, (b. 1797), aged 33, Irish labourer who was convicted in County Kerry, Ireland for life for theft, transported aboard the "Forth" on 1st January 1830, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1830 aboard the ship 11
Miss Hannah Pyne, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Buffalo" on 4th May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Margaret Pyne, aged 18, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Elgin" 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Pyne 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:

Pyne Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. James Pyne, British settler as part of the 8th Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Oriental Queen" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 18th September 1849 14
A. H. Pyne, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "William Fruing" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Pyne (post 1700) +

Percy Rivington Pyne (1857-1929), American banker, financier, and philanthropist
Robert E. Pyne, American Republican politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hartford, 1918 15
Michael Pyne, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1984 15
Mrs. Lloyd V. Pyne, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Utah, 1952 15
H. Rivington Pyne (b. 1892), American politician, Delegate to New Jersey State Constitutional Convention from Somerset County, 1947 15
Eben W. Pyne, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for New York, 1972; Presidential Elector for New York, 1972 15
William Henry Pyne (1769-1843), known also as Ephraim Hardcastle, an English painter, illustrator and writer
James Baker Pyne (1800-1870), English landscape-painter from Bristol; he started his career as a lawyer, but his love of art declared itself and was entirely self-taught
Charles Claude Pyne (1802-1878), English painter
Norman Christopher "Chris" Pyne (1939-1995), English jazz trombonist
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Pyne family +

HMS Repulse

Mr. Samuel Pyne, British Ordinary Seaman, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and died in the sinking 16

Sources +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Worth, R.N., A History of Devonshire London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, E.G., 1895. Digital
"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. 62)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/wreck_of_emigrant_ship_john_1855.pdf
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th October 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/forth
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ELGIN 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Elgin.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html