Sonnier History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Early Origins of the Sonnier family

The surname Sonnier was first found in Berkshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands and village of Sonning, held by Roger from the Bishop of Salisbury, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086.

Early History of the Sonnier family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sonnier research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1096, 1327, 1463, 1476, 1504, 1510, 1546 and 1600 are included under the topic Early Sonnier History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sonnier Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Sonning, Sonnin, Sonin, Soning, Sunning, Suning, Sunin, Souning, Sounin, Sonninges, Somin, Somings and many more.

Early Notables of the Sonnier family

More information is included under the topic Early Sonnier Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sonnier Ranking

In the United States, the name Sonnier is the 4,986^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Sonnier family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: the name represented in many forms and recorded from the mid 17th century in the great migration from Europe. Migrants settled in the eastern seaboard from Newfoundland, to Maine, to Virginia, the Carolinas, and to the islands..

Contemporary Notables of the name Sonnier (post 1700) +

Jo-El Sonnier (1946-2024), born Joel Sonnier, was an American singer-songwriter and accordionist
Keith Sonnier (1941-2020), American postminimalist sculptor, performance artist, video and light artist
James Bert Sonnier (b. 1938), American retired trainer of thoroughbred racehorses; he had 1,531 career wins

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/