Nance

Etymology

The surname Nance is usually explained from Cornish nans, meaning “valley,” “dale,” or sometimes “plain.” It was often used as a local name, referring to someone who came from a place called Nance or lived near a valley. Some older writers also linked it to a specific estate in Illogan, Cornwall, which helped fix the name as a surname.

History

The name is strongly associated with Cornwall and appears in older Cornish surname lists as a local or topographic name. Historical sources note a place called Nance, Nants, or Nans in Illogan, and some families took the surname from that locality. A few 19th-century writers suggested French connections, but the Cornish place-name explanation is the more secure and widely accepted one.

Origin

Regions

Variant spellings

Fun fact

In Cornish place-names, the element nan-/nans- is common and shows up in many valley names across the county.