There are two possible origins for this most unusual name. The first and most likely is as a slightly Anglicized form of the German Traenkle, a metonymic for a water carrier, deriving from the word "tranck", meaning water. It has also been suggested that the name could be a nickname for one who was a drinking companion, and given the hearty humour of the medieval period, this is a possibility. The second possible origin is from the Old Cornish locational word "trannachel", which translates as "the crane's stream", the crane bird being relatively common at the time. The name as "Trannachel" is recorded at St. Erth, Cornwall, on July 1st 1569, and as "Treancale" in London, on November 13th 1642. However, on March 10th 1830, Charles Gustavus Trankell, the son of Gustavus and Eliza Trankell, was christened at St. Peter's Church, Walworth, Surrey, and this was probably the origination of the modern spelling form in England. German records are generally later than England, examples include: Andreas Traenkle, of Freiberg, on March 27th 1731, and Petronilla Trankle, of Willigen, Baden, on June 1st 1863. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of George Traenckle, which was dated January 25th 1697, a witness at Neckarkreis, State of Wuertt, Germany, during the reign of Emperor Leopold 1 of the German Empire, 1658 - 1705. 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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