Traynor
An Irish surname usually linked to Gaelic Treanor, often connected with a personal name meaning “strong” or “marrowy.”
The #9,013 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,101 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname is generally treated as an Anglicized form of Irish Treanor, Trainor, or related spellings. Historical sources connect it with Gaelic forms such as Treanmhar / Trenmor, interpreted as a personal name rather than an occupation; older writers also suggested a link with a word meaning a trainer, especially of horses, but that looks less likely for the Irish family name. The spelling Traynor is one of several English renderings of the same underlying Gaelic surname cluster.
History
The name is strongly associated with Ireland, especially Ulster and counties such as Donegal and Dublin in later records. Nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century surname scholars often grouped Traynor with Treanor, Trainor, Treanor, and similar forms as variants of one Irish family name. Some Cornish and English writers also tried to explain the name locally, but the Irish derivation is the one most commonly accepted for the surname as used in Ireland and among emigrant families.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
In census and historical indexing, Traynor and Treanor are often treated as closely related forms rather than separate surnames.
From the historical record
“another. TRAYNOR. The Osslanic hero, Finn Mac-Cool, was grandson of Trenmor or Treanmhar (pron. Treanwar) whence per- haps the surnames Treanor, Traynor, and, as Mr. Mac-Grady thinks, Mac Creanor. B^" TRE. See under Corkish Sur- names. TREACHER. O. E. ireclwnre, a cheat. Richardson says : " One who tricks . . .…”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom