My name is Henry Mayne and this study revolves around my own family connection to the surname, which stems from my 3x great grandmother, Mary Mandeville, who married John Mayne. Mary was born in Ripley, Surrey, England in 1792 and her ancestry has been traced back within that county to the 15th century. The study currently concentrates on the large family tree found for this family in Surrey, but work to extend the geographical coverage is under way.

Variants include Mandefield, Manfield, Mansfield, Manville, Manvell. Many variant spellings of the name are found, many associated with spelling errors. There are instances where members of a single family are recorded by different versions of the surname.

The origin of the surname appears to stem from place names found in Normandy, France from which individuals had their surnames drawn. These place names were based upon the Latin phrase 'magna ville' meaning a large estate or village. Examples of the place names include Manneville, Mannaville, and Magnanville. In England these place names became known as Mandeville.

The most well-known person of this name in English history is Geoffrey de Mandeville who was a companion of William the Conqueror at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. As a reward for his assistance William gave Geoffrey a vast number of estates in England, the majority of which were in Essex. William also made him Constable of the Tower of London. By the time of the Domesday Book in 1086 Geoffrey was one of the ten richest men in England. There is no known direct link between Geoffrey de Mandeville and modern-day persons of that surname, but it may well be that they are descended from his wider family.

A complete family tree for the Mandeville family of Surrey, descending from a John Mandefield born circa 1435 in Dunsfold is available. Work is being undertaken on likely connections to the Surrey family found in Sussex and London.