The Derivation of Stanyer

The surname Stanyer seems to have evolved over several centuries. It has been historically interchangable with "Stonyer", "Stannier", "Stonier", "Stanner", "Stanier", etc. Thus, particularly in previous ages when the subject being born, married or buried was often illiterate, how hte surname was spelt depended on how it sounded to the ear of the person (usually the clergyman) making the official entry to record the occasion. It was also frequently the case that one might have been "born" with one spelling, "married with another, and "buried" with a third!

What does the name mean? I have been told previously that it is connected with someone who "hewers" or cuts, stone. This explanation seems inadequate to me for several reasons:

  1. Stone-cutting is presumably a country-wide occupation and therefore the surname would have evolved nationwide.
  2. "Stanyer" seems to have evolved in the Staffordshire area, indicating seemingly a place-name derivation.
  3. As Staffordshire was historically the centre of clay pottery production, as well as textile manufacturing, stone-cutting seems incongruous to thse more common types of occupation.
If the name is derived from a locality, then the small town of Stone may be a more logical starting point. Further investigation is clearly needed!