Donet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Donet

What does the name Donet mean?

The surname Donet is a name that came to England in the 11th century wave of migration that was set off by the Norman Conquest of 1066. The family was originally from D’Anet, in Normandy, and it is from this location that their surname derives. 1

Other source disagree. Two sources note the name to be “derived from the name of an ancestor. ‘the son of Daniel,’ from nick. Dan, diminutive Dann-et.” 2 3

Early Origins of the Donet family

The surname Donet was first found in Norfolk, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Cristiana Danet as holding lands at that time. 2 A few years later, we found John Danet in the Subsidy Rolls for Warwickshire in 1332. 3

The source Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III. has an entry for William Danet, Norfolk, 20 Edward I. (during the 20th year of King Edward III’s reign.)

Some of the family were later found in Owlpen, a parish, in the union of Dursley, Upper division of the hundred of Berkeley, W. division of the county of Gloucester. The church there has “some memorials of the very ancient family of Danet, who formerly resided here, and were of considerable eminence.” 4

“Dannatt is a slightly altered form of a Stamford [,Lincolnshire] name in the 17th century; Richard Dannalte or Danalt was an alderman of that town in 1645 and 1655. 5