Guild of One-Name Studies
One-name studies, Genealogy
Study: Minns
Variants: Minnis, Myngs
Category: 1 - A study where research using core genealogical datasets and transcriptions is in its early stages.
Contact: Mr Brian Minns
This profile is a joint effort, originally the MINNS ONS was registered, and this profile was written by Judith Mitchell who started researching the Minns name (Judiths maternal line) around 1996.
The research led to contact with others researching the Minns name and together we set up an informal family history group for all Minns researchers on Yahoo in September 2000. As a representative of the group Judith registered the name with the Guild of One-Name Studies in 2011. The project image shows the original four (4) members: Brian MINNS, Jonathon, Keith, Lisle MINNS the 3 of which have now passed were all researching seperate MINNS lines not knowingly related. I would love to track down the research of some of our MINNS researchers who have now passed, and include it in this MINNS study. If you have access to the many years of work by Keith, Jonathon, Lisle, Patricia MINNS in the UK and Sheila Tutton in Australia, or indeed any other MINNS research that you would like me to preserve in this study please do contact me?
DNA later showed Jonathon was an adopted MINNS but a dedicated researcher. This small group grew over the following years.
Theological studies has resulted in Judith not having the time to continue the study so I (Brian Minns) having now retired am picking up the reins and will be researching the Minns name worldwide to make that research available for all.
Dr Allan Glaisyer Minns (1858--1930) was Britain's first black mayor. In 1904 he was elected mayor of Thetford, Norfolk. Born in the Bahamas, he was a grandson of John Minns, a Quaker, born in 1771 in Reading, Berkshire.
The position as of Oct 2025, I have been extracting data from the major providers and show the counts below. This gives an indication of the frequency. Please note this is Minns only as I have not completed the varients yet.
According to the British surnames website the most populous counties in the 1881 census were Norfolk (418 entries), followed by London (184) and Suffolk (103). This is confirmed by the Great Britain Family Names Profiling website and our own research.
My own research have shown that there is a strong representation of the Minns name in the Bahamas and North America. Research is actively ongoing.
From the Forebares website the following statistics (very small numbers omitted).
https://forebears.io/surnames/minns#meaning
From the Dictionary of British Surnames:
Minns
Variants: Mines, Mynes
English: variant of Minn with genitival or post-medieval excrescent -s .
Early bearers:
John Mynnys, 1524 in Subsidy Rolls (Suffolk); Thomas Mynes, 1561 in IGI (Tittleshall, Norfolk); Wm Mynes, 1577 in IGI (Bedford, Beds); Alice Mines, 1608 in IGI (Corsley, Wilts).
The Group has tested a small number of males including myself, and hope to expand this. My own tests have been firstly at the Bahamas DNA Project at: https://www.familytreedna.com/sign-in
I have also tested more recently at Ancestry as I know several of my cousins have as well.
The original Minns yahoo group has now been superseded by a Facebook Group named MINNS FAMILY GROUP that can be found at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/minnsfamilygroup/