This name, recorded in London church registers from the mid 16th Century, is of Anglo-Saxon origin and is occupational for a maker of thongs i.e. thin leather strips used for binding things together. The derivation is from the Old English "thwang", related to the Old High German "dwang" meaning "reigns", plus the agent suffix -er, (one who does or works with). On December 24th 1624, Edward Thunger and Jane Moore were married in St. Gregory by St. Paul's. Anne Thonger married a John Magnis at St. Katherine's by the Tower on April 20th 1684. The christening of William, son of John and Margaret Thonger, took place at St. Martin in the Fields, Westminster, on January 12th 1700, and on October 4th 1870, Eliza Ann Thonger and Thomas Read were married in Beckenham, Kent. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Ede Thonger, (marriage to Nicholas Rascon), which was dated November 6th 1569, St. Dunstan's, Stepney, London, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth 1, "Good Queen Bess", 1558 - 1603. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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