Tenney Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Tenney last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Tenney last name
Meaning of the Tenney last name: a descendant of Tenney, a pet form of Dennis. The surname Tenney is explained by Smith as a descendant of a pet form of Dennis, the name of Saint Denis, derived from Dionysius. The last name is rare in England today but long established in New England, where early Rowley, Massachusetts records document many families.
Arms associated with the Tenney name
Sharing a surname establishes no coat of arms entitlement; heraldry follows documented individual lineages.
Get your full Tenney family history
This is only a glimpse of the Tenney story. The full Tenney history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Tenney coat of arms. Get the full Tenney report.
Tenney name FAQ
What does the Tenney name mean?
A descendant of Tenney, a pet form of Dennis.
Where does the Tenney surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States and Canada.
Is there a Tenney coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Tenney coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Elsdon C. Smith, Dictionary of American Family Names (1956), individual surname entries; modern indexed dictionary entries supersede conflicting interpretations.; Forebears, Surnam.es and individual surname distribution references.