The Strange surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 14,948 people carried this name — #2,425 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 19,700 people counted. That is up 3% from 14,582 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Strange surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the strange’.

An early record he cites: Stephen le Straunge, Yorkshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 722 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 6 births for the Strange name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 5
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In the Nordic population registers

48 people named Strange is counted in Sweden.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 48

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown).

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Strange was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Dorset: 26 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 385. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Dorset 26
Berkshire 10

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

44 families named Strange, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 273 people lived in those households, 6.2 to a family on average. The table counts it together with one other spelling. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Virginia 13
New York 9
South Carolina 6
Massachusetts 5
North Carolina 5
Rhode Island 3
Connecticut 2
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 264 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Strange in American newspapers,
1840–1894.

Newspaper page from The Anaconda Standard carrying the name Strange
The Anaconda Standard 1894-07-16
Newspaper page from Luxemburger Gazette carrying the name Strange
Luxemburger Gazette 1893-10-24
Newspaper page from Macon Intelligencer carrying the name Strange
Macon Intelligencer 1840-03-28

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 1,624 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Strange in Australian newspapers,
1820s–1990s.

22,454 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Strange. The most, 2,922, date from the 1910s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in the Northern Territory, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 6,272
Victoria 5,351
Queensland 4,814
Western Australia 2,617
South Australia 2,492
Tasmania 611
ACT (Canberra) 183
Northern Territory 54

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Strange.

Who carried it

People named Strange,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Roger Strange d. 1426 · politician
  • Thomas Strange d. 1594 · politician
  • Thomas Strange d. 1436 · politician
  • Robert Strange d. 1630 · politician
  • Alice Strange d. 1952
  • Christina Strange d. 1846

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Strange,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,125 records

1,125 records of the Strange name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 527
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 206
  • Other U.S. records 392
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Franklin Strange

    Born 1926 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1945 at Fort Bragg; farmer. U.S. Air Force veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at Fort Bragg Post Cemetery, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Walter R. Strange

    Born 1915 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at San Antonio; farmer from Dallas County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Dallas - Fort Worth National Cemetery, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Lizzie Strange

    Arrived at New York in 1885 aboard the St. of Pennsylvania from Glasgow and Larne, aged 23; servant. From Co.Antrim, Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 1,125 records for Strange in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia514 records

514 records of the Strange name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 257
  • Tasmanian Names Index 85
  • Other Australian records 172
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record William Strange

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Layton, sailing from Sheerness in 1835. Native of Bristol, Gloucestershire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1838. Married 1838 in Hamilton, Tasmania.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Harold John William Strange

    Born 1894 in Hobart, Tasmania. Died 1932 in Tasmania, aged 37.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Mary Ann Strange

    Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1841. Married 1841 in Launceston, Tasmania, aged 19.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 514 records for Strange in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

New Zealand50 records

50 records of the Strange name in New Zealand
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 32
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 11
  • Other New Zealand records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John Strange

    Died 1996, aged 91; buried at Totara Memorial Park Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Olive Adealine Strange

    Died 1985, aged 88; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Zena Minnie Strange

    Died 1988, aged 74; buried at Fairhall Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 50 records for Strange in New Zealand.

Counts: Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Canada43 records

43 records of the Strange name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 12
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 9
  • Other Canadian records 22
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record An Strange

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Circassian, landing at Quebec, bound for Preston, Ontario; German.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Albert John Strange

    Died 1960 in Bridgewater, Lunenburg, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 2 of 43 records for Strange in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom26 records

26 records of the Strange name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 25
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record C. Strange

    Royal Fusiliers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record H. Strange

    Corporal, Wiltshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. W. Strange

    Lincolnshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1917.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Strange in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Norway12 records

12 records of the Strange name in Norway Norway's 1910 census
  1. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Harald Strange

    Census of 1910: Toldbodgate, Drammen; errand boy, born 1892 in Drammen.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  2. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Olea Strange

    Census of 1910: Nordre forstad, Holmestrand; born 1822 in Kristiania.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)
  3. A page of the 1910 United States census, Milwaukee
    Example: U.S. census, 1910
    Census record Torvald Strange

    Census of 1910: Hundsrød, Andebu; farm labourer, born 1894 in Fon.

    Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO)

Showing 3 of 12 records for Strange in Norway.

Counts: Arkivverket, Digitalarkivet, 1910 census (CC BY 3.0 NO). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. census of 1910, Milwaukee (public domain).

Netherlands11 records

11 records of the Strange name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 7
  • Dutch population registers 2
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Johanna Strange

    Died 1821 in Kampen, aged 70.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jan Strange

    Married in 1653 in Bergen op Zoom; born in Luik.

    Open Archives, West Brabants Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Caatje Strange

    Married in 1741 in Soest; born in Campen.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 11 records for Strange in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Germany3 records

3 records of the Strange name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Hermann Strange

    From Wachersleben. Reported dead in the Prussian casualty list of 2 April 1919 (Infantry Regiment No. 335).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Ernst Strange

    From Sören, Bordesholm. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 4 November 1915.

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Showing 2 of 3 records for Strange in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Strange.

When the index is not enough

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A volume says what happened to it.

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