Does anyone know about the name Binau?

Question

My mom's maiden is Binau. I know there was a Binau Germany. There was not much there but a castle that's now a nursing home. But my grandfather said we are french. Any help would be great.

Answer 1

The earliest immigrants with this name have German birthplaces.

Answer 2

According to ancestry.com, 67% immigrated from Liverpool, England & 33 % immigrated from Queenstown, Ireland, to USA.

All of the family trees, tracing ancestors outside of the  USA, had ancestors from various parts of Germany.

Before WW I & WW II, many German people migrated to  other countries and for self-preservation during those difficult times, claimed to be from that particular country.

(French Toast was really German Toast, but during WW I & II, German anything was not looked upon kindly, so the names of many foods were changed.)

And, you could very easily be of French descent; perhaps a Binau male married a French woman, after he migrated to France.

I am 100% American, with ancestors from England, Germany, Switzerland, Russia, France, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, etc.

My 8th great-grandfather was from Germany and his wife, my 8th great-grandmother was from Switzerland. They met in the Province of South Carolina (USA), in the late 1700''s.  

Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I have seen Binau and Bineau in Quebec (which is French speaking), Germany (which shares a long border with France), and France.  It looks and sounds French so he could be right.

Without sounding like those cons who try to sell family crests and histories full of general info that could apply to anyone, a researcher would need more information.

Answer 4

This site--http://www.linkpendium.com/genealogy/USA... links to these other sites:

Worldwide Information for This Surname

Cemeteries

Binau Surname      (Source: Find A Grave)

Family trees and family histories

Binau surname in the OneGreatFamily Tree      (Source: One Great Family - free trial available)     ($)

Introduction and Guides

Binau Genealogy      (Source: Surname Web)

Mailing Lists and Message Boards

Binau Message Board      (Source: RootsWeb)

Binau Family Genealogy Forum      (Source: Genealogy.com)

Binau Genealogy Message Board      (Source: The Genealogy Register)

Maps and Gazetteers

Where were Binau families living in 1920?      (Source: Ancestry.com 1920 family distribution maps)

Binau Surname Distribution      (Source: Hamrick Software)

Miscellaneous Data

Search for Binau in the Ancestral File, 1880 Census, IGI, SSDI...      (Source: Family History Library)

RootsWeb Site Search for Binau      (Source: RootsWeb)

Binau Surname      (Source: World Vital Records (mix of free and fee))

http://www.historicalnames.com/namelistd...

Origins

French

Brief Family History

Spelling variations of this family name include: Binnette, Binette, Binet, Biney, Binney, Binon, Binot, Bineau, Binaud, Binault and many more.

First found in Maine, where the family first originated and maintained their status as one of the more distinguished families in the town of Vende.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Alice Binney, who arrived in Barbados in 1663; Ren Binet, who arrived in Quebec in 1665; James Binney, who arrived in Barbados in 1680; Jean Bineau, who married in Lachine, Canada in 1705.

Coat of Arms: A silver shield with three black roundels on a silver bend sinister.

(NOTE--Don't know how reliable this site is because of the items they sell, etc.--similar to www.houseofnames.com)

www.familysearch.org has these varied spellings: BONEAU ;

BINEAU ; BINAUD; BONNEAU; BINNEY ; DE BINAU ; BINNIE ; PINNAU (most with this spelling were from Germany); BINNEWE; and BINNY.  They had listings from Denmark, France, Germany, USA, Africa, Spain, Argentina,

England, Scotland,  and Canada (Quebec, Ontario, British Columbia , Nova Scotia , & New Brunswick) .

    Two early listings are:  Antoine Bineau-- Birth: 1571, Niort, Poitiers, Poitou, France

PIERRE BINAU--christened  06 DEC 1590   Walloon Or Strangers Church, Canterbury, Kent, England .

PS In my hometown, we have 6 listings of people named Binau. My Mom knows about 1/2 of them.