The Surname

The le Strange Family name is strange! Neither pompous or grand, it perhaps alludes to a weirdness of character, which somewhat contradicts their meritorious nature.

Where did it originate from, and who is the mystery man behind it?

Essentially, the name is a personalised one, from around the 1100’s when a new era of surnames had began. It describes ‘the stranger’ in France.

Spelt with a lowercase ‘L’ we know that the Family name was handed down from the ancestor called Roland le Strange, who died between 1122-1135.

Roland le Strange was linked with the Hunstanton Estate upon his marriage to Matilda, the heiress daughter of Ralph fitz Herluin, who was the first Knight of the Family to own land at Hunstanton.

Roland had close ties with the nobility in Dol-de-Bretagne, North-East Brittany, a very pretty Medieval town today.

Delving further; did he identify as someone who was ‘le Strange’, or was he a stranger in Brittany, or was the name carried from an established Family? To discover the answers may require time consuming research. The surname could barely have been imposed upon him unwillingly, as it was officially applied in legal documents. Interestingly, the majority of the population in Brittany spoke Breton, while another sub-language of Gallo was unique to his area. This prompts a further question as to whether he spoke the romantic language of Gallo which may have surprised a few Bretons!

A sense of pride would be instilled in the Family with this surname which became legitimate, adhering throughout the 29 ‘generations’ of le Strange Heirs (to date).

The le Stranges were a trusted Family in Royal circles, leveraging a well documented history. The name was absorbed into the history books, evoking perhaps a slight curiosity wherever it appears.