Manning
A surname that most likely means “son of Mann” or comes from an old personal name meaning a brave man.
The #434 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 4,119 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname was commonly explained as a patronymic from the old personal name Mann, with the English suffix -ing meaning “son of” or “belonging to.” Some 19th-century writers also connected it with an Old Norse personal name, manningi, interpreted as “brave” or “valiant man.” In short, the name may either mean “Mann’s son” or descend from a Germanic given name built around the word for “man.”
History
Medieval records show Manning as an early personal name, and the surname appears in many English place-names such as Manningham, Mannington, and Manningtree. It is also recorded as the name of a moneyer in the time of Æthelred I, showing its early currency in England. The name spread widely in Britain and later to North America.
Origin
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Fun fact
The surname is preserved in several English place-names, which helped keep the old name visible long after the original given name faded.
From the historical record
“The name was Latinized de Maneriis MANNING (Eng.) Mann's Son : v. Man(n, and + the O.E. fil. suff. -ing Manning was the name of a moneyer temp. iS:thelred I. MANNION, an asp. form of Mangan, q.v. MANSELL (A.-Fr.-Lat) One Belonging to a Manse ; a Farmer ^ [A.-Fr. ma(u)nsel ; Fr. manse, land sufficient to support a…”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)