Below are questions and answers about the Thrale family name and its meaning.
The name Thrale or Thrall is thought to derive from the Old English term 'præl' or the Old Norse term 'præll', meaning …
a villein, serf, bondman.
It is likely to have arisen from the requirement to work three or four days a week for the Lord of the Manor. 1
The earliest record of any Thrale is thought to John Thral in the 1309 Subsidy Rolls [8] for Bedfordshire and William le Thral in the 1332 Subsidy Rolls for Sussex.1
However since at least the year 1600, records show the principle spelling as Thrale. Derivatives including Thrall, Thralls, Thral, Trayle and Thrawl are thought to have arisen mainly through emigration.
The most common Thrale male forename is Ralph and Thomas, closely followed by John and William.
Of the 15 direct male ancestors of David Thrale [11] - owner of this website - five were called Thomas, three were Richard two were Robert, with one each of Ralph, Kenneth, Herbert and John. Other common Thrale forenames include, Richard, Alban, Norman and Peter.
Female genealogical records are less readily available. However, common Thrale female forenames during the same period include Elizabeth, Anne, Sarah and Mary.
Links
[1] http://www.thrale.com/user/login?destination=comment/reply/437%23comment-form
[2] http://www.thrale.com/user/register?destination=comment/reply/437%23comment-form
[3] http://www.thrale.com/user/login?destination=comment/reply/310%23comment-form
[4] http://www.thrale.com/user/register?destination=comment/reply/310%23comment-form
[5] http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=fPoujUPs3hYC&pg=RA1-PA445&vq=thrale&dq=The+Origins+of+English+Surname.+P.H.+Reaney.&source=gbs_search_s
[6] http://www.thrale.com/user/login?destination=comment/reply/313%23comment-form
[7] http://www.thrale.com/user/register?destination=comment/reply/313%23comment-form
[8] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subsidy_roll
[9] http://www.thrale.com/user/login?destination=comment/reply/320%23comment-form
[10] http://www.thrale.com/user/register?destination=comment/reply/320%23comment-form
[11] http://www.thrale.com/david_thrale