Gremain

Recorded as Gremane, Gremain, and originally in England Gremani, this is a surname of uncertain origins, but is probably Italian. It is apparently very rare, and we were fortunate in finding a recording in the International Genealogical Index of William Gremani and his wife Elizabeth. This was at the church known as St Pancras Old Church, in the city of London on October 20th 1791, when a daughter called Belina Rosetta Gremani was christened. This lead us partially across London to the church of St Ann's Soho, Westminster, when on June 30th 1799, Ann Catharine Parbridge Gremane, the daughter of William Gremane and his wife Elizabeth was christened. It would seem that during that decade Willam and his wife 'lost' the Italian appearance of the name, and also had at least two daughters. As this was during the Napoleonic Wars of 1794 - 1815, it is possible that the change was for political correctness, although it is more likely to have been poor spelling! Sometime later the name changed again to Gremain, but for this we do not have a date. A problem in deciding the meaning is that the name as Gremani does not appear in the Italian surname lists. An examination of available recordings would suggest that the name was originally Germani or Germano, meaning 'The German', and somehow probably in its journey around Europe, and finally to England, it became 'transposed' to Gremani.