Where did this last name originated?

Question:

Where did this last name originated?

My family told me it was from France but they weren't so sure.

for those that know, or may know, my last name is "Then".

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: The name then was brought to England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The then family lived in Shropshire. The name, however, is a strange contraction of the phrase of the Inn, resulting from the fact that an early member of the family was the proprietor of such an establishment.

Spelling variations of this family name include: Botfield, Botville, Boteville, Botfeld, Botevile, Thynne, Tyne, Tine, Tynes, O'Tyne, Thinn, O'Thinn, Thin, Then, Them and many more.

First found in Shropshire where they were Lords of the Manor of Church Stretton.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John and Anton Them who settled in Ohio in 1890; G. Than who saettled in New York in 1849; John Tine, his wife Margaret, and daughter Elizabeth, who settled in the Barbados in 1679.